A presidential aspirant of the Action Democratic Party, Dr Johnson Chukwuka, has filed a lawsuit against the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission over the emergence of Abbas-Bin Aliyu as the party's candidate for the 2027 presidential election. Chukwuka's campaign media team disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday. The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenges the validity of the party's presidential primary process.
Chukwuka is asking the court to declare that the ADP did not conduct a valid presidential primary on May 29 and 30, 2026. He also challenges the declaration of Aliyu as the primary winner and the subsequent submission of his name to INEC as the party's presidential candidate. The plaintiff argues that the submission of Aliyu's name, published on INEC's notice board on August 1, was "wrongful, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void."
The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2026, seeks an order voiding the purported results and a declaration that Chukwuka is the duly elected ADP presidential candidate from the primaries held on May 29 and 30. Chukwuka contends that the disputed process violated Sections 29, 77, 84, 86 and 88 of the Electoral Act 2026, as well as the party's guidelines for the conduct of its primaries.
The ADP has been embroiled in a dispute surrounding its presidential ticket, with the party itself petitioning the Inspector-General of Police over an alleged unauthorised upload of a presidential nomination form to the INEC portal. The party alleged that the nomination form was prepared and uploaded by Fatima Mustapha, a former staff member and former INEC liaison officer whose authority to handle candidate-upload matters had allegedly been withdrawn.
The ADP described the alleged action as unauthorised and raised concerns about possible electoral offences, cybercrime and the presentation of an unauthorised document as an official party nomination. The party also wrote to the INEC Chairman, requesting the preservation of the electronic audit trail, login records and IP addresses connected to the disputed upload, as well as an investigation into the transaction.
Chukwuka's legal team believes that the developments reinforce its position that the process that produced Aliyu as the party's candidate was flawed. The suit is seeking judicial intervention to determine the validity of the ADP's presidential nomination process ahead of the 2027 election. The case is now before the Federal High Court in Abuja, which will determine the merits of Chukwuka's claims.
The outcome of the suit may have implications for the ADP's presidential ticket and the 2027 general elections. The party's National Chairman has reportedly asked the presidential candidate to provide a written explanation of any knowledge or involvement in the disputed upload. The ADP and INEC have not commented on the matter, but the court's decision is expected to bring clarity to the nomination process.
Key points
- Dr Johnson Chukwuka challenges the nomination of Abbas-Bin Aliyu as the ADP presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
- The suit filed by Chukwuka seeks to void the results of the ADP's presidential primary and declare him the duly elected candidate.
- The ADP is embroiled in a dispute over an alleged unauthorised upload of a presidential nomination form to the INEC portal.
