ABUJA – A high-stakes judicial gambit to scrub Senator Ireti Kingibe’s name from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) hit a brick wall on Thursday, as a Federal High Court in Abuja refused to grant a sneaky “backdoor” application to bar her from party activities.
The presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, delivered a firm reality check to the plaintiffs, ruling that the FCT Senator cannot be ambushed in court without being given a fair chance to defend her seat.
The “Wuse Ward” Rebellion
The legal drama, marked under suit FHC/ABJ/CV/539/2026, was triggered by two local party officials—Okezuo Godfrey Anayo and Isaiah Ojonugwa Samuel—who claim to be the Chairman and Secretary of the ADC in Wuse Ward.
The duo is pushing for a court declaration to stop Kingibe from parading herself as an ADC member, following a controversial “indefinite suspension” they slapped on her on March 10. Their grievances? Alleged anti-party activities, insubordination, and a failure to settle her party dues.
Wait Your Turn, Judge Tells Plaintiffs
However, Justice Lifu wasn’t buying the rush for an immediate injunction. In a courtroom filled with hushed whispers, the judge insisted that the principles of fair hearing must be upheld. He maintained that Kingibe must be formally “put on notice” and served with all court processes before any such heavy-handed order could be considered.
“Justice must be seen to be done,” the judge noted, effectively telling the plaintiffs they couldn’t cut corners to settle political scores.
The Wike Connection?
The air in the courtroom was thick with the scent of a proxy war. Insiders have long whispered that the push to de-robe Kingibe is being fueled by loyalists of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who has had a famously frosty relationship with the Senator over the administration of the nation’s capital.
While the Wuse Ward executives are swinging the hammer, the ADC’s National Working Committee has previously dismissed the suspension as a “sham,” describing the move as “false and misleading” propaganda aimed at destabilizing the only opposition voice in the FCT.
Battle Lines Drawn for April 20
Senator Kingibe’s legal team, led by Abubakar Marshall, was already on the offensive, informing the court that they have filed a preliminary objection to toss the entire suit into the trash.
With Justice Lifu adjourning the case to April 20, 2026, the stage is set for a major showdown. For now, Senator Kingibe remains the face of the ADC in the Red Chamber, even as her detractors sharpen their knives for the next round.
