The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has voiced concerns about the frequent allocation of its cases to just three judges—Justices James Omotosho, Peter Lifu, and Mohammed Abdulmalik—at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a petition dated November 19 and addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, FCT, Justice John Tsoho, the party’s National Secretary, Taofeek Arapaja, expressed dissatisfaction over the consistent assignment of PDP-related cases to these judges, despite there being several others available on the bench.
Justice Omotosho recently ruled in a case brought by Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Nnanah, and Turnah George—chairmen and officials from PDP chapters in Imo, Abia, and the South-South zone, respectively—restraining the party from proceeding with its national convention due to alleged breaches of party rules.
Likewise, Justice Lifu ordered a halt to the convention until Sule Lamido, former Jigawa State governor, was allowed to purchase a nomination form to contest for the party’s National Chairman position, agreeing that Lamido had been unfairly excluded.
Despite these rulings, the PDP went ahead with its convention, relying on a conflicting court order from Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court.
These contradictory decisions have deepened divisions within the party, with rival factions aligned with the PDP Governors Forum and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, each claiming legitimate leadership.
The petition highlighted that all recent cases involving the PDP at the Abuja Federal High Court have been consistently assigned to Justices Omotosho, Lifu, and Abdulmalik, even though the court has a total of 12 judges, including nine others at the Abuja Division.
PDP members have voiced serious complaints about this pattern, viewing these three judges’ courts as disproportionately influential over matters affecting the party.
The petition stressed that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done by the public and party members alike.
With numerous cases likely to arise due to the party’s ongoing challenges, the PDP respectfully requests that future matters involving it not be assigned to these three judges.
While affirming confidence in the overall integrity of the judiciary, particularly under the leadership of Justice Tsoho, the party urged for more balanced case distribution to uphold fairness and public trust.
