A Federal High Court in Abuja, led by Justice Mohammed Umar, has dismissed a suit filed by Yakubu Muhammed Kingsley, an aggrieved aspirant, challenging Donald Duke's emergence as the presidential candidate of the People's Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 general election. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, named Duke, the PRP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.
The plaintiff, Yakubu Muhammed Kingsley, had sought the court's intervention to determine whether Duke was duly returned as the PRP's presidential candidate in the May 25 primary election. Kingsley argued that Duke was not a registered member of the party as of May 4, when the PRP's membership register was submitted to INEC. He also alleged irregularities in the primary election results in states such as Bauchi, Gombe, and Kwara.
In his judgment, Justice Umar held that the plaintiff's case was without merit and subsequently dismissed it. The court ruled in favour of the preliminary objection filed by the PRP and Duke, stating that the case was statute-barred, having been filed outside the time prescribed by the Constitution. The court also considered the substantive issues raised by the plaintiff and resolved them in favour of the respondents.
The court held that the issue of Duke's alleged membership of the PRP was an internal party matter and therefore outside the court's jurisdiction. The judge found that Kingsley failed to provide the party's guidelines, which he alleged had been breached during the party's screening exercise. This omission led the court to dismiss Kingsley's claims regarding Duke's membership.
Regarding the allegations of over-voting in the PRP primary election in Bauchi, Gombe, and Kwara states, the court held that Kingsley failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate his claims. The court noted that Kingsley did not provide the party's membership register, accreditation records, and final primary election results to support his allegations of over-voting.
The dismissal of the suit means that Donald Duke's emergence as the PRP's presidential candidate for the 2027 general election remains valid. The court's decision was based on the lack of merit in Kingsley's claims and the statute-barred nature of the case. The PRP, Duke, and INEC were all cleared of any wrongdoing in the primary election process.
The court's judgment brings to an end the legal challenge to Duke's candidacy. The PRP's May 25 primary election and Duke's subsequent emergence as the party's presidential candidate have been validated by the court. Key issues raised in the suit, including Duke's membership and allegations of over-voting, were resolved in favour of the respondents.
Key points
- The Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit challenging Donald Duke's emergence as the PRP's presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
- The court ruled that the plaintiff's case was statute-barred and without merit.
- The dismissal validates Duke's candidacy and clears the PRP and INEC of any wrongdoing in the primary election process.
