The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has pulled out of its legal battle against the Nigeria Police Force, citing a lack of confidence in the impartiality of Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
The suit, filed to compel police to vacate the PDP National Secretariat and restore control to the party’s elected leadership, became contentious after the party raised concerns over bias by three judges, including Justice Abdulmalik, according to PDP National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong.
“We have expressed complete lack of faith in their ability to handle PDP-related matters fairly,” Ememobong said in a statement on Friday.
He explained that despite the petition to the Chief Judge requesting reassignment, the case was still allocated to Justice Abdulmalik.
During proceedings, PDP filed a motion asking the judge to recuse herself, but Ememobong claimed the motion was merged with the case hearing and managed at the judge’s discretion, undermining the principle of a fair trial.
As a result, the party opted to file a notice of discontinuance under Order 50 Rule 2(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019, which allows withdrawal of a case within 14 days of receiving the defendant’s last statement of defence.
The notice was submitted three days after the police filed their defence, in line with the law.
Ememobong stressed that the judge dismissed the case rather than striking it out, intensifying PDP’s concerns over judicial impartiality.
He also reaffirmed the party’s respect for Nigeria’s judiciary while invoking a warning from the late Justice Niki Tobi against political interference in judicial matters.
“Our constitution forbids mingling between judges and politicians.
“When judges are influenced by political actors, democracy suffers, and the sovereignty of Nigeria is undermined, ” he said.
