The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Minna, challenging the eligibility of opposition governorship candidates Mohammed Mamman Nami and Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed. The APC is questioning their participation in the 2027 general elections, citing their alleged failure to complete necessary membership and resignation procedures before joining opposition parties. The suit also involves other politicians who left the APC for opposition parties.
The APC has instituted legal proceedings against Nami, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, and Ndarani Mohammed, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate. The party argues that they were still registered members of the APC during the period when membership registers were submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The APC is relying on Sections 77(5) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026, which restrict participation in party primaries to individuals whose names appear in the relevant membership registers.
The APC's legal team, led by Jacob Johnson Usman, has cited a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, in the case of INEC v. Zenith Labour Party & Others. The party argues that INEC's handling of the Niger State candidates was inconsistent with the position established in the judgment. The APC is seeking an order declaring the affected candidates ineligible to contest the 2027 general elections under their respective political parties.
The suit, filed at the Minna Division of the Federal High Court, lists INEC as the first defendant, along with the PDP, SDP, African Democratic Congress (ADC), National Democratic Congress (NDC), and several individuals. Among those named in the originating summons are Peter Jiya, senator representing Niger South, and Sadiq Mohammed Rabiu, NDC senatorial candidate for Niger South.
Nami and Ndarani Mohammed were previously prominent members of the APC before their movement to opposition parties following disagreements surrounding the ruling party's internal primary elections. Nami emerged as the PDP governorship candidate on August 29, 2026, while Ndarani secured the SDP's governorship ticket. Their decisions to leave the APC followed disagreements over the party's internal arrangements and the outcome of its primaries.
The dispute is connected to the APC's May 2026 primary elections, during which Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago emerged as the party's consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election. Bago was endorsed unopposed at the party's primary held in Minna on May 21, 2026. The governor acknowledged that some party members could be dissatisfied with the process and promised efforts to reconcile aggrieved members.
The Niger State PDP has unveiled its governorship campaign council for Nami ahead of the 2027 election, with Alhaji Gambo Ladan as Director-General and Architect Suleiman Maibabur as Campaign Advisory Chairman. Former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, recently left the APC for the SDP, citing his confidence in Ndarani's governorship ambition.
Key points
- The APC is challenging the eligibility of opposition governorship candidates in Niger State, citing their alleged failure to complete necessary membership and resignation procedures.
- The suit has been filed at the Federal High Court in Minna, with INEC listed as the first defendant.
- The APC is seeking an order declaring the affected candidates ineligible to contest the 2027 general elections under their respective political parties.
