INEC Faces Fresh Legal Pressure as Turaki-led PDP Demands Removal of Anyanwu as National Secretary 

•Counsel cite subsisting FCT High Court judgement affirming senator’s expulsion

•Threatens contempt action against INEC 

Wale Igbintade

More troubles have hit the Nyesom Wike-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the Kabiru Turaki-led faction has demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) immediately withdraws its recognition of Samuel N. Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the party, following a subsisting judgement of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory affirming his expulsion from the party.

In a formal letter dated April 16, 2026, and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, at its headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, counsel to the Turaki faction and its members, Abdullahi Ibrahim, SAN, said the commission is constitutionally bound to enforce the judgement of the court which dismissed Anyanwu’s suit challenging his expulsion.

The lawyers stated that the PDP’s National Disciplinary Committee had, on March 10, 2025, recommended Anyanwu’s expulsion for alleged anti-party activities, a decision which was subsequently accepted and implemented by the party.

They noted that Anyanwu later approached the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Suit No. CV/1050/2025: Senator Samuel N. Anyanwu v. Ambassador Iliya Umar Damagum & 8 Ors, but the court, on January 12, 2026, dismissed his case in its entirety, thereby affirming his expulsion.

According to the letter, a Certified True Copy of the judgement has been attached as Annexure 1, while a Notice of Appeal filed by Anyanwu is also attached as Annexure 2. 

The lawyers stressed that the appeal does not operate as a stay of execution, and therefore the judgement remains valid, subsisting, and binding.

The legal team argued that, by implication, Anyanwu has ceased to be a member and officer of the PDP and has no competence to act on behalf of the party in any capacity whatsoever.

Citing Section 287(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the lawyers reminded INEC that the decisions of all courts of competent jurisdiction are binding on all authorities and persons across the Federation and must be enforced without exception.

They insisted that INEC has a constitutional obligation to comply with and implement the judgement even without prompting from the party, warning that continued recognition of Anyanwu amounts to a breach of constitutional duty and an affront to the sanctity of the judiciary.

The PDP, through its solicitors, further accused the commission of undermining judicial authority by maintaining recognition of Anyanwu as National Secretary despite the subsisting court judgement.

In their demands, the lawyers asked INEC to expunge every recognition accorded to Anyanwu since January 12, 2026, including all correspondences, notices, emails, and documents signed by him in that capacity.

They also demanded that INEC cease further recognising him as National Secretary of the PDP unless and until an appellate court sets aside the judgement, and immediately delist his name from its official portal.

The letter warned that failure to comply would leave the PDP with no option but to initiate contempt proceedings against the INEC Chairman and take further legal action to challenge the commission’s conduct.

It further stated that the party expects INEC to act in accordance with “wise counsel” and avoid being perceived as an institution encouraging the destabilisation of opposition political parties in Nigeria.

As at the time of filing in the report, INEC had yet to respond to the demands, leaving the issue unresolved and raising the prospect of a legal confrontation over the enforcement of the subsisting judgement.

THISDAY reports that the development marks the latest twist in the protracted crisis rocking the PDP, particularly within the faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike.

There has been growing anxiety within the camp over the legal implications of Anyanwu’s status, especially following earlier decisions affirming his suspension by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

The dispute is also tied to the controversy surrounding the party’s recent national convention and the emergence of a factional leadership.

Anyanwu had initially approached the High Court to challenge the recommendation of the PDP’s National Disciplinary Committee, which accused him of anti-party activities and recommended his expulsion.

However, the trial court dismissed the suit for want of jurisdiction, holding that courts cannot interfere in the internal affairs of political parties where due process has been followed.