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In a forceful legal challenge that threatens to upend the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party’s North Central Zone, Hon. Stephen Abraham Ajiya has formally sued the PDP, its zonal appeal panel, Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the outcome of the Jos Congress of the party.

The suit, registered as FHC/ABJ/CS/111/2025, is set for mention before Justice Emeka Nwite in Court 8 of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 17, 2025 at 9:00 AM.

Hon. Ajiya’s 16-point writ of summons paints the May 24, 2025 congress in Jos as a “monumental fraud.” He insists “there was no validly conducted PDP North Central Zonal Congress Election for the position of PDP North Central Zonal Chairmanship” under the party’s own rules and the Electoral Act.

He accuses the PDP of staging a sham gathering “characterized by rigging, vote-buying, pre-determined outcome, intimidation, electoral compromise, manipulation and absence of free, fair and equal level playing ground.”

Central to Ajiya’s case is the alleged failure to notify INEC in a legally compliant manner. “The absence of a valid notice of the PDP North Central Zonal Congress Election duly signed by the subsisting National Chairman and the National Secretary … resultantly invalidated the said zonal congress election,” the plaintiff argues, labelling the invitation letter flawed and the process therefore null and void.

Ajiya further contends that his opponent, Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed, was ineligible from the outset. “The 2nd Defendant having not resigned his position as the substantive Deputy National Auditor and communicated same to INEC in writing at least thirty days before the date of the Zonal Congress Election, was not qualified to contest and be declared or returned winner.”

The writ demands a declaration that Mohammed’s purported victory is “invalid, unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional and one fraught with … irregularities.”

Beyond challenging individual eligibility, Ajiya accuses high-level party officials of deliberately stifling internal remedies. He pleads for a declaration that “the deliberate blocking, frustration and stifling of the internal appeal process of the party … was prejudicial, unfair, unconstitutional and a complete denial of the Plaintiff’s right to fair hearing.”

He urges the court to nullify any internal outcome on the grounds that “there was no effective and legally realistic internal appeal process or mechanism of the party.”

Should the court find merit in these allegations, Ajiya seeks orders to void the entire Jos congress, to enjoin INEC and the PDP from recognizing or transacting with Mohammed, and to compel a fresh election under lawful conditions.

He demands that the fresh exercise be overseen by INEC, that all aspirants be given “free, fair and equal level playing ground,” and that due notice be given to electoral officials. In the alternative, he requests that he himself be “declared and returned winner as the sole validly qualified candidate” who lawfully stood in Jos.

Counsel for Ajiya, S.C. Uchendu of S.C. Uchendu Chambers, emphasized that the lawsuit is driven by principle as much as by personal ambition. “This is about preserving the sanctity of our internal democracy,” Barr Uchendu said. “When party rules are flagrantly breached and the electoral body is shut out by design, the only recourse is the courts.”

Inside PDP corridors, reactions range from stunned silence to thinly veiled panic. One senior party insider admitted anonymously, “If the court agrees that INEC never got proper notice, everything falls apart.” Another hinted at last-minute damage control meetings among the National Working Committee, though no official statement has been issued.

INEC sources say the commission’s non-attendance at the Jos congress stemmed from receiving a notice that “was neither signed nor authorized in accordance with extant laws.” An INEC officer confided, “We wouldn’t risk supervision on a phantom process.”

As the July 17 hearing approaches, political watchers predict a landmark ruling. If Justice Nwite upholds Ajiya’s claims, the PDP may be ordered to suspend all zonal functions, to organize fresh primaries, and to recognize Ajiya, potentially altering the party’s landscape in a critical region. Conversely, dismissal of the suit could entrench Mohammed’s leadership and embolden party gatekeepers.

For now, the PDP’s North Central zone is on edge. Delegates who once dashed to Jos believing they were shaping the future now wonder if their votes have been cast into oblivion. Meanwhile, Ajiya remains undeterred. “Our democracy cannot survive on charades and conspiracies,” he said. “We must hold our party to the same standards we demand of government.”

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, May 27, Hon Ajiya had threatened lawsuit over the outcome of the Jos Congress if his appeal fails at the PDP North Central Congress Appeal Panel.

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