The crisis tearing through the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a dangerous legal turn, with the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory issuing a blunt warning of imprisonment against Samuel Anyanwu and Joash Amupitan over alleged disobedience of a subsisting court order.
In a Form 48 dated April 20, 2026, the court made it clear: comply immediately with its January 12 judgment or face contempt proceedings that could end in jail. That judgment had already thrown out Anyanwu’s suit challenging his expulsion from the PDP, effectively stripping him of any legal standing within the party.
But in what critics describe as brazen defiance, Anyanwu has continued to parade himself as National Secretary, even featuring prominently in a March 2026 convention aligned with Nyesom Wike, where he was controversially retained, an arrangement initially recognised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The opposing faction, led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and backed by governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, is not backing down. Through senior lawyer Abdullahi Ibrahim, they have formally demanded that INEC withdraw any recognition of Anyanwu, insisting the court judgment remains binding and enforceable.
Their argument is straightforward: filing an appeal does not erase a judgment. Until set aside, the court’s decision stands, and must be obeyed.
The warning shot is unmistakable. If INEC continues to recognise Anyanwu, the Turaki camp says it will not hesitate to drag the electoral body and its leadership into contempt proceedings.
With the PDP now deeply fractured between rival camps, the standoff has escalated from political infighting to a full-blown legal confrontation, one that could see top figures facing prison if the court’s authority continues to be tested.
• Source: Informantonline.com
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