ABUJA – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a stinging assault on the integrity of the Federal High Court, with its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, accusing the Chief Judge of compromising the bench by allegedly “begging” FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for personal favours.
In a blistering statement released on Saturday, January 31, 2026, Ememobong claimed that the independence of the judiciary is being traded for real estate. He alleged that a recent courtesy visit by the Chief Judge to the Minister’s office saw the jurist “trembling” and soliciting land allocations and housing for judicial officers.
“When the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court pays a courtesy call to the Minister of the FCT and trembles before him… then a streak of judgment follows,” Ememobong asserted. He linked the alleged encounter to a series of recent court rulings that have consistently favoured the Wike-aligned faction of the embattled opposition party.
Legal Blow in Ibadan
The PDP’s outburst follows a crushing legal setback on Friday, where a Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the party’s November 2025 National Convention. The court declared the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) invalid and instead recognized a Wike-backed Caretaker Committee as the party’s legitimate leadership.
Ememobong argued that these “procured judgments” are the direct result of the politicization of the bench. He cautioned that public trust in the judiciary is “weakening on a daily basis,” warning that the “waters” of the judiciary and the executive must never meet.
Wike’s Judicial Housing Drive
While the PDP cries foul, Minister Wike has defended his administration’s plans to construct residential quarters for judges in Abuja. Wike maintains that providing secure housing for the bench is a necessary move to protect judges from external pressure and enhance their welfare.
However, the PDP views the project as a “practical demonstration of institutional capture,” suggesting that the Minister is using state resources to build a “nesting ground” for favourable judicial outcomes.
As the Turaki-led NWC files an appeal against the Ibadan ruling, the war of words between the PDP and the FCT Minister threatens to drag the nation’s legal system deeper into a partisan quagmire.
Will the National Judicial Council (NJC) launch an inquiry into the alleged “land begging” to restore the image of the Federal High Court?
