A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has issued a Form 48 Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Court Order against Senator Samuel Anyanwu and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, over alleged failure to comply with a subsisting court judgment concerning Anyanwu’s expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The notice, which is the first formal step toward contempt proceedings, warned that both men risk imprisonment if they continue to disregard the judgment delivered on January 12, 2026, in Suit No. CV/1050/2025.
In the suit, Anyanwu was listed as the Judgment Debtor/Respondent, while Amb. Iliya Umar Damagum, representing himself and the National Executive Committee of the PDP, alongside the party and other party chieftains, were listed as Judgment Creditors/Applicants.
The court had earlier dismissed Anyanwu’s suit challenging his expulsion from the PDP, thereby upholding the party’s decision to remove him from the party.
However, the applicants argued that despite the judgment, Anyanwu had continued to parade himself as PDP National Secretary, while INEC allegedly continued to recognise him in that capacity.
The Form 48 notice warned that unless both parties “cease further disobedience and comply forthwith” with the court’s order, they could be held in contempt and committed to prison.
The legal pressure on INEC intensified further in a letter dated April 16, 2026, written by counsel to the PDP and its members, Abdullahi Ibrahim (SAN), who argued that the commission was constitutionally bound to enforce the court’s judgment affirming Anyanwu’s expulsion.
According to the lawyers, the PDP National Disciplinary Committee had, on March 10, 2025, recommended Anyanwu’s expulsion over alleged anti-party activities, a decision later ratified by the party leadership.
They noted that Anyanwu challenged the expulsion in court, but his suit was dismissed entirely on January 12, 2026.
Although he has since filed a Notice of Appeal, the legal team stressed that the appeal does not amount to a stay of execution and does not invalidate the subsisting judgment.
They maintained that, by implication, Anyanwu had ceased to be both a member and an officer of the PDP and no longer had the legal authority to act on behalf of the party.
Citing Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution, the lawyers argued that INEC is under constitutional obligation to obey and enforce court judgments, warning that continued recognition of Anyanwu undermines judicial authority and violates the rule of law.
They further accused the commission of breaching its constitutional duty by maintaining his recognition despite the valid court judgment.
The PDP legal team demanded that INEC immediately withdraw all recognitions accorded to Anyanwu since January 12, 2026, including official correspondences and documents, and expunge his name from the commission’s records.
They also warned that failure to comply would trigger full contempt proceedings against the INEC Chairman and further legal action against the electoral commission.
The Form 48 notice was issued by Jephtha Musa, Esq., of Maxim Law Firm, Abuja, and was served on Anyanwu at his residence in Wuye District, Abuja, as well as on the INEC Chairman at the commission’s headquarters in Maitama.
The latest development signals a possible escalation in the legal battle over the PDP National Secretary position, with contempt proceedings now looming if compliance is not secured.
