ADC FCT drags Senator Kingibe to Court over party membership dispute

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the Federal Capital Territory has instituted legal proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking to restrain Senator Ireti Kingibe from presenting herself as a member of the party.

The suit follows the senator’s indefinite suspension by the Wuse Ward Executive Committee, which was announced barely 48 hours before the court action was initiated.

Filed by the party’s counsel, Maxwell Opara, the case asks the court to declare that the Wuse Ward Executive Committee possesses the lawful authority to discipline and suspend party members operating within its jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs also seek judicial confirmation that the suspension imposed on Senator Kingibe remains valid and binding.

The case was instituted by Mr. Okezuo Godfrey Kanayo, Chairman of the ADC in Wuse Ward, and Mr. Isaiah Ojonugwa Samuel, the ward secretary.

They filed the action both in their official capacities and on behalf of the ward executive committee.

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In the originating processes, the plaintiffs are asking the court to rule that Senator Kingibe cannot lawfully claim membership of the ADC or present herself as a card-carrying member while her suspension subsists.

Additionally, the suit seeks an order restraining the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) from recognising her as a member at any level during the period of suspension.

The ward leadership also wants the court to validate its decision to discipline the senator.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/539/2026, is anchored on Sections 6(6)(b) and 251 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), provisions of Article 16 of the ADC Constitution, and the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019.

The plaintiffs further invoked the court’s inherent powers to interpret and enforce party constitutions and internal disciplinary decisions.

As of the time of filing, the matter had not yet been assigned to a judge, leaving the dispute unresolved pending judicial review.

The development underscores escalating internal tensions within the ADC in the nation’s capital, with the court now expected to determine the legality of the ward committee’s action and the senator’s standing within the party.