Stop Assigning Our Cases to Specific Judges, PDP Petitions Chief Judge
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, expressing deep reservations over what it describes as the repeated concentration of PDP-related suits before only three judges, despite there being a larger pool of judicial officers in the division.
In a formal letter dated November 19, 2025, and signed by the party’s National Secretary, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, the PDP urged the Chief Judge, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, to ensure a more balanced and transparent redistribution of all party-related matters going forward.
The party argued that almost every recent case involving its internal affairs, leadership disputes, and organizational decisions had been consistently directed to the same judges, creating an impression of structural bias or selective case placement.
Sources within the PDP say that many members have privately voiced concerns that this limited assignment pattern places too much influence over the party’s fate in the hands of a few judicial figures.
They argue that in legal matters involving multiple political interests, broader distribution of cases is essential to preserving judicial neutrality and confidence among stakeholders.
The letter emphasized that while the PDP maintains respect for the judiciary and does not challenge the professional integrity of the judges involved, the recurring clustering of the party’s cases before a narrow subset of the bench has heightened worry and eroded trust in the case allocation mechanism.
The petition requested immediate administrative intervention to prevent a repeat of this situation in future filings.
Political commentators say the party’s request reflects wider concerns across Nigeria regarding judicial fairness in politically sensitive litigation. In recent years, the judiciary has faced increased scrutiny due to conflicting court orders, forum shopping, and controversial injunctions issued in high-stakes political cases.
Legal experts predict that if the Chief Judge responds favorably to the PDP’s request, it may lead to a review of the internal case-assignment system, potentially introducing new guidelines to ensure an even-handed distribution of political lawsuits among available judges. Such reforms, they argue, could strengthen institutional credibility and reassure the public that judicial processes remain objective and untainted by internal irregularities.
As of the time of this report, the Federal High Court leadership has not issued any public response to the petition. The developments remain closely monitored in legal circles, as they carry implications not only for the PDP but for broader perceptions of the judiciary’s role in Nigeria’s political landscape.
