PDP Crisis: Court orders arrest of factional Chairman Turaki

Chairman of the factional Peoples Democratic Chairman, PDP, Kabiru Turaki, SAN has been ordered to be arrested by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, on Thursday, for failing to appear for arraignment in a criminal case instituted against him by the Police.

Justice U.P. Kekemeke has issued a bench warrant against Turaki for absenting himself from Court without justification.

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Turaki, the former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs under President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing a one-count prosecution over alleged false information he provided to the police in a petition dated October, 2022.

Turaki was said to have been duly served in the last scheduled arraignment on January 28, 2026, but failed to appear before the Court without any cogent reason for his absence.

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At today’s hearing, the prosecution told the Court to issue a bench warrant against Turaki for failing to appear the second time after he was duly informed.

However, Turaki’s lawyer argued in Court that his client’s absence was due to a petition written to the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, seeking transfer of the case to another over a lack of confidence of the trial court.

Ruling on the issue, Justice Kekemeke held that the filing of a petition does not halt criminal proceedings unless there is a directive from the Chief Judge to that effect.

The judge subsequently granted the prosecution’s application and ordered that the defendant be arrested and produced before the court for arraignment.

The matter was adjourned for further proceedings.

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