The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has filed a suit against four opposition parties at the Federal High Court in Minna, seeking to disqualify their candidates from the 2027 general elections. The opposition parties affected are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and African Democratic Congress (ADC). The APC alleges that the candidates breached the Electoral Act, 2026.
The candidates targeted by the APC's suit include PDP governorship candidate, Mohammed Mamman Nami; SDP governorship candidate, Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed; and ADC deputy governorship candidate, Musa Mamman. Also listed are Sadiq Mohammed Rabiu and Peter Jiya, contesting the Niger South Senatorial seat for the NDC and PDP respectively. Several NDC candidates for the House of Representatives and Niger State House of Assembly are also affected.
According to the APC, the affected politicians were members of the APC when the party submitted its digital membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) between April 21 and May 10, 2026. The APC argues that they defected to the opposition parties after losing the APC's primary elections in May. The party claims that their absence from the membership registers submitted by the new parties disqualifies them from seeking elective positions.
The APC's case relies on Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly subsections (5) and (7), which restrict participation in party primaries to persons whose names appear in the membership registers submitted to INEC. The party is challenging INEC's decision to publish the candidates' names on October 10, followed by a press release on October 13, despite alleged failures to meet statutory requirements.
The APC's legal team, comprising six Senior Advocates of Nigeria, has invoked a September 24, 2026 Supreme Court judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party & Ors. The party alleges that INEC failed to apply the ruling consistently in Niger State, citing instances where the commission applied the judgment in governorship contests in other states but not in Niger.
The APC is seeking several reliefs, including a declaration that the candidates are ineligible, nullification of INEC's publication of their names, and an order compelling INEC to remove them from the list of candidates for the 2027 elections. The party also wants to prevent INEC from recognizing the affected politicians or including their names on ballot papers.
The case is yet to be assigned a hearing date. The outcome will likely have significant implications for the 2027 general elections in Niger State, particularly for the affected opposition candidates. The court's decision will determine whether the APC's suit has merit and whether the candidates will be allowed to participate in the elections.
Key points
- APC alleges opposition candidates breached Electoral Act by defecting after losing APC primaries
- Suit seeks to disqualify candidates from 2027 general elections in Niger State
- Case outcome may impact opposition parties' chances in 2027 elections
