Court adjourns suit seeking to bar Senator Kingibe from ADC membership
A federal high court in Abuja has adjourned a suit seeking to bar Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), from presenting herself as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, the presiding judge, Peter Lifu, held that the senator must first be served with all relevant court processes by the plaintiffs to enable her respond to the allegations.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/539/2026, was filed by the Wuse ward executive committee of the ADC in the FCT, which is seeking an order restraining Kingibe from holding herself out as a member of the party.
The legal action was initiated 48 hours after the ward executive committee placed the senator on indefinite suspension over alleged anti-party activities, insubordination and violation of party rules.
The plaintiffs — Okezuo Kanayo, chairman of ADC in Wuse ward, and Isaiah Samuel, the ward secretary — are said to be loyalists of Nyesom Wike, minister of the FCT.
Through their counsel, Maxwell Opara, they asked the court to declare that the ward executive committee has the constitutional authority to discipline and suspend members within its jurisdiction. They also urged the court to affirm that Kingibe’s suspension remains valid and that the national working committee of the party should not recognise her as a member at any level during the period of the suspension.
However, Lifu ruled that the application could not be entertained without first notifying the senator, stressing that such matters must be handled with fairness and in line with judicial principles.
The judge subsequently ordered that Kingibe be served with all court documents and adjourned the case to April 20, 2026, for hearing of all pending applications.
