The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised concerns over the repeated assignment of its cases to Justices James Omotosho, Peter Lifu, and Mohammed Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.
In a petition dated November 19 and addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, FCT, Justice John Tsoho, the party, through its National Secretary Taofeek Arapaja, expressed unease over what it described as a pattern of assigning matters filed by or against the PDP to the three judges.
The petition cites recent rulings by the judges that affected the party’s national elective convention.
Justice Omotosho, in a suit brought by Austin Nwachukwu, Amah Nnanah, and Turnah George, PDP state chairmen and zonal secretary, restrained the party from holding the convention, citing non-compliance with party rules.
Justice Lifu similarly ordered the postponement of the convention until former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido obtained a nomination form to contest for the office of National Chairman.
Despite these rulings, the PDP went ahead with the convention, relying on the court order from Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court.
Conflicting judgments have contributed to the factionalisation of the party, with rival blocs claiming leadership, including factions aligned with the PDP Governors Forum and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The petition reads in part:
“It is of great concern to our party that, for the past few years, all matters filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, either for or against the PDP, have consistently been assigned to Justices Omotosho, Lifu, and Abdulmalik, despite there being nine other judges in the division. These three courts are now viewed by party members and the public as ‘courts of particular concern’ regarding matters affecting the PDP.”
The party urged the Chief Judge to ensure that future cases involving the PDP are not assigned to the three judges, stressing that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done to maintain trust and integrity.
“Our party reiterates that we have no doubt about the integrity of the judiciary, particularly the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, headed by Your Lordship, but we are concerned about this pattern of case assignments,” the petition added.
