The Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led Interim National Working Committee (INWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has vowed to appeal the court judgment affirming the Nyesom Wike-led faction as the legitimate leadership of the party.

The faction has instructed its lawyers to file an appeal insisting that the subject matter of the suit is the leadership of the PDP, saying it is an internal affair of the party, for which the court’s jurisdiction has been ousted.

Justice Salim Olasupo Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, had Friday upheld the preliminary objection of the defendants and struck out the case filed by the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and some founding leaders of the party, seeking, among other reliefs, the recognition of the Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee.

In a statement made available to Blueprint in Abuja, the party’s INWC National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said while it respects the judgement of the trial court, “we respectfully consider that it is against the extant judgements of the Appeal and apex courts.”

The faction said it is left with no other option than to appeal the judgement.

“The plaintiffs have accordingly briefed their lawyers to take immediate steps to appeal the rulings and judgment, ” NWC stated, and expressed the hope that in doing so, “the victory of truth over lies, principles over compromise and the survival of true opposition and multi-party democracy will be assured.”

According to the statement, “politics of power, money and greed may last for a while, but we are certain that though our victory may be postponed, as the struggle continues, we will eventually attain it.”

The judgment once again may have truncated efforts by the Turaki-led faction to participate in the 2027 general elections.

In his judgement, Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja

held that the suit filed by the Board of Trustees of the PDP led by Senator Adolphus Wabara was incompetent and lacking in merit and consequently dismissed.

Delivering ruling in a preliminary objection filed by the commission, Justice Ibrahim held that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi (the legal authority) to institute the suit and consequently struck it out for want of jurisdiction.

The judge held further that the plaintiffs failed to establish that INEC had recognised the purported interim National Working Committee (NWC) instituted by the caretaker committee.