PDP raises court concerns, citing repeated assignment of cases to three Abuja judges and urges fair distribution of matters before the Federal High Court
ABUJA, Nigeria, 26 November 2025 — The Peoples Democratic Party has raised concerns over the repeated assignment of its cases to Justices James Omotosho, Peter Lifu and Mohammed Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.
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The party, in a petition dated 19 November and signed by its National Secretary, Taofeek Arapaja, addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, FCT, Justice John Tsoho, expressed apprehension over what it described as a disproportionate fixation on the three judges for matters either filed by the PDP or brought against it.
The petition cited recent rulings by the judges, including Justice Omotosho’s directive restraining the party from proceeding with its national elective convention due to alleged constitutional breaches and Justice Lifu’s order halting the convention pending former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido’s nomination.
The PDP maintained that it relied on a separate ruling by Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court to proceed with the convention.
The conflicting court decisions, the party argued, have contributed to ongoing factionalisation, with rival groups loyal to the PDP Governors Forum and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike each claiming authentic leadership of the party.
The petition read, in part, “It is of great concern to our party that all matters filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, for the past few years, either for or against our party, have consistently been assigned to Justices Omotosho, Lifu and Abdulmalik, despite the presence of nine other judges in the division.”
It further emphasised that, “Several party members have expressed bitter complaints regarding this pattern, viewing these courts as courts of particular concern with respect to PDP matters. Justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done by reasonable members of society.”
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The PDP requested that future cases, whether filed by or against the party, not be assigned to the three judges, reiterating its confidence in the integrity of the judiciary while highlighting the need for equitable distribution of matters to maintain trust and fairness.
