BREAKING: Court strikes out suit seeking to stop Ireti Kingibe from ADC activities, fines plaintiffs N10m
Federal High Court Dismisses Suit Against Senator Ireti Kingibe
ABUJA — The Federal High Court has dismissed a legal challenge to prohibit Senator Ireti Kingibe from participating in activities of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The suit arose following her alleged suspension from the party by Wuse Ward executives.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, Justice Peter Lifu determined that the matter concerning the senator’s suspension fell within the ADC’s internal affairs and did not require court intervention.
Senator Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, was reportedly suspended on March 10, 2026, for alleged anti-party activities and breach of the ADC constitution.
The plaintiffs, Okezuo Godfrey Anayo and Isaiah Ojonugwa Samuel, both members of the APC in the Wuse Ward, filed the suit (marked FHC/ABJ/CV/539/2026) against Kingibe. They were represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kolawole Olowookere, who argued that the court should issue an interim injunction preventing Kingibe from acting as an ADC member while their motion for a permanent injunction was under consideration.
The plaintiffs sought to bar the senator from attending meetings, performing ADC-related functions, and from interfering with the administration of the ward and its records. They claimed Kingibe was suspended for misconduct, violation of party rules, and mismanagement of ward records, arguing that due process was followed in her suspension.
However, Justice Lifu questioned the motives of the plaintiffs, suggesting that it was unusual for the individuals who suspended Kingibe to seek judicial validation of their actions. He noted that the proper course would have been for the senator to challenge her suspension in court.
Describing the suit as frivolous and unfounded, Justice Lifu invoked sections 82 and 83 of the Electoral Act, imposing a fine of 10 million naira on the plaintiffs, payable to Kingibe. An additional fine of 10 million naira was levied against the plaintiffs’ legal representative for the filing of the suit.
