Published by Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja has taken a decisive step in the protracted leadership crisis of the Peoples Democratic Party by issuing a formal notice of consequences of disobedience of court order against the National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan. The court, through a Form 48 dated April 20, 2026, warned the two senior officials that they face imprisonment if they fail to comply with a subsisting judgment delivered on January 12, 2026, which dismissed a suit filed by Anyanwu challenging his expulsion from the party. The notice, sighted by journalists on Tuesday, reads in part: “Take notice that unless you stop further disobedience and comply forthwith/obey the judgment/order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, made on the 12th of January 2026, which dismissed the suit of Senator Samuel N. Anyanwu challenging his expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party, you will be guilty of contempt and you will be liable to be committed to prison.” The development represents the latest and perhaps most dramatic twist in a party leadership battle that has split the PDP into two irreconcilable camps.
The roots of the current legal firestorm trace back to March 10, 2025, when the party’s National Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Chief Tom Ikimi, recommended the expulsion of Senator Anyanwu over allegations of anti-party activities. The committee’s report indicated that Anyanwu had declined to appear before it to defend himself. The party leadership subsequently ratified the recommendation, and on November 15, 2025, during a disputed convention held in Ibadan, the party under Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum formally expelled Anyanwu along with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose. However, courts later nullified that convention, adding another layer of legal complexity. Undeterred, Anyanwu approached the FCT High Court in Suit No. CV/1050/2025, seeking to set aside the findings and recommendations of the disciplinary committee, arguing that the committee lacked competence and that its decision violated his right to a fair hearing.
Delivering judgment on January 12, 2026, Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court struck out Anyanwu’s suit for want of jurisdiction, holding that the plaintiff’s claims amounted to non-justiciable intra-party disputes. The judge upheld the preliminary objections filed by the defendants, ruling that the suit was commenced without exhausting mandatory internal dispute resolution procedures and that no reasonable cause of action was disclosed. “The plaintiff’s suit is hereby struck out for want of jurisdiction and incompetence,” Justice Halilu declared. The court’s decision effectively affirmed Anyanwu’s expulsion from the PDP, a ruling that the embattled senator has since appealed. On April 10, 2026, Anyanwu filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, arguing that the trial judge erred in his decision. However, the faction of the PDP loyal to Ambassador Damagun maintains that a notice of appeal does not operate as a stay of execution and that the January 12 judgment remains valid and enforceable. The party has cited Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution to support its position that all authorities, including INEC, are bound to comply with court orders.
The issuance of the Form 48 notice is the culmination of sustained pressure by the Damagun-led faction on both Anyanwu and the electoral commission. The faction’s lawyer, Johnathan Musa, filed the contempt proceedings on April 20, listing Ambassador Iliya Umar Damagun, the PDP, and seven other judgment creditors as applicants. The notice was specifically directed at Senator Anyanwu and Professor Amupitan, with service indicated at their respective Abuja addresses. The faction argues that by continuing to recognise Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the PDP and by allowing him to function in that capacity, INEC is actively disobeying a binding court order. The electoral commission has not yet issued an official response to the contempt notice, but its recognition of the Wike-backed faction’s leadership following a convention in Abuja on March 29 and 30, 2026, which produced Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman and retained Anyanwu as National Secretary, has drawn sharp criticism from the opposing camp.
The PDP’s internal crisis has effectively split the party into two major factions. One faction, loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, controls the party’s national secretariat in Abuja and has been recognised by INEC. The other faction, led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and backed by a group of governors including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, has consistently challenged the legitimacy of the Wike-led leadership and has demanded that INEC withdraw its recognition of Anyanwu as National Secretary. In a strongly worded letter dated April 16, 2026, addressed to Professor Amupitan through its counsel, Abdullahi Ibrahim (SAN), the Turaki-led faction called for the immediate removal of Anyanwu’s name from the commission’s records. The letter referenced the January 12 judgment of the FCT High Court and warned that failure to comply would result in contempt proceedings.
Legal experts have noted that the contempt notice, while procedurally significant, faces substantial hurdles. Ken Njemanze (SAN), counsel to Senator Anyanwu, has argued that the trial judge did not dismiss his client’s suit on the merits but merely declined jurisdiction, meaning that the court did not affirm Anyanwu’s expulsion. “The judge merely held that he had no jurisdiction in the matter, so how has the chairman of INEC disobeyed an order?” Njemanze queried. He added that the disciplinary committee’s recommendation to suspend Anyanwu was not a decision of the National Executive Committee and therefore lacked binding effect. Furthermore, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two critical appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction on April 22, 2026, in a final bid to reclaim control of the embattled opposition party. The outcome of those appeals could render the contempt proceedings moot or, conversely, provide additional legal ammunition for the Damagun-led faction.
The standoff at INEC adds another dimension to the crisis. Professor Amupitan, who assumed office as INEC chairman in February 2026, has been caught between conflicting court orders and political pressures. His commission has previously stated that it is bound to obey subsisting court orders, but the multiplicity of conflicting judgments from various courts across different jurisdictions has made compliance nearly impossible. In a separate but related development, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday struck out a contempt charge seeking to commit the INEC chairman to prison for alleged flagrant disobedience to a court order in a matter brought by one Chief Edozie Njoku, who claimed to be the National Chairman of the National Rescue Movement. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik struck out the suit after the applicant failed to diligently prosecute the charge, including the proper service of court processes on the INEC chairman. That decision, however, has no bearing on the PDP’s contempt proceedings.
As the clock ticks toward the Supreme Court hearing on April 22, the political stakes could not be higher. The PDP, once Nigeria’s ruling party, has been in near-constant crisis since its defeat in the 2015 general elections. The current leadership battle, which pits two powerful camps against each other, threatens to further weaken the party ahead of the 2027 elections. For Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the contempt notice is a direct assault on his political survival. For INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan, it is an unwelcome distraction at a time when the commission is preparing for a series of off-cycle elections. And for the PDP, the turmoil shows no signs of abating, with the party’s fate now resting in the hands of the Supreme Court.
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