By Gabriel Ameh
Dr Johnson Emmanuel Chukwuka, a presidential aspirant of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the emergence of Abbas-Bin Aliyu as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Chukwuka, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2026, is challenging the validity of the ADP presidential primary allegedly conducted on May 29 and 30, 2026, as well as the declaration of Aliyu as the winner.
The plaintiff is asking the court to declare the primary invalid and set aside the results on which Aliyu’s nomination was based.
He is also seeking an order declaring him the duly elected presidential candidate of the party from the May 29 and 30 primary.
In addition, Chukwuka wants the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Aliyu’s name from its notice board and recognise him as the ADP’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Electoral Act compliance challenged
Chukwuka’s case is based, among other grounds, on an allegation that the nomination process failed to comply with Sections 29, 77, 84, 86 and 88 of the Electoral Act 2026, as well as the ADP’s guidelines for conducting its presidential primary.
The suit asks the court to determine whether the ADP complied with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and its own internal guidelines in selecting its presidential candidate.
Disputed nomination upload
The court action comes amid a separate dispute involving an alleged unauthorised upload of a presidential candidate nomination form on the INEC portal.
The ADP reportedly petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the alleged upload, accusing Fatima Mustapha, a former staff member and former INEC liaison officer, of preparing and uploading the document after her authority to handle candidate-upload matters had allegedly been withdrawn.
The party has also written to the INEC Chairman, requesting that the commission preserve the electronic audit trail, login records and IP addresses connected to the disputed upload and investigate the circumstances surrounding it.
An internal memorandum dated September 2, 2026, reportedly asked Aliyu to clarify whether he had any knowledge of or involvement in the disputed transaction.
Chukwuka’s legal team has argued that the development raises further questions about the process through which Aliyu’s nomination was produced.
However, the allegations contained in the various complaints and court processes remain subject to determination by the relevant authorities and the court.
The case is now before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Chukwuka is seeking judicial determination of the validity of the ADP’s presidential primary and the nomination of its candidate for the 2027 general election.
Source/Credit: Court documents and reports on the ADP-INEC nomination dispute.
