General News
ADP Crisis Deepens As Chukwuka Challenges Aliyu’s 2027 Presidential Nomination In Court
By Iyojo Ameh
The crisis within the Action Democratic Party (ADP) has deepened as one of its presidential aspirants, Dr Johnson Emmanuel Chukwuka, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the nomination of Abbas-Bin Aliyu as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Chukwuka, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2026, is challenging the validity of the presidential primary reportedly conducted by the party on May 29 and 30, 2026, and the subsequent emergence of Aliyu as its candidate.
The plaintiff is asking the court to declare that the purported primary was not validly conducted and to nullify the results said to have produced Aliyu as the winner.
He is also seeking an order declaring him the duly elected presidential candidate of the ADP from the May 29 and 30 primary exercise.
Chukwuka further 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 party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The plaintiff contends that the nomination process contravened Sections 29, 77, 84, 86 and 88 of the Electoral Act 2026, as well as provisions of the ADP’s guidelines governing its presidential primary.
The dispute has been further complicated by a separate petition reportedly submitted by the ADP to the Inspector-General of Police over an alleged unauthorised upload of a presidential candidate nomination form on the INEC portal.
According to the party’s account, the disputed form was allegedly prepared and uploaded by Fatima Mustapha, a former staff member and former INEC liaison officer whose authority to handle candidate-upload matters had previously been withdrawn.
The party has also written to the INEC Chairman, requesting the preservation of electronic audit trails, login records and IP addresses associated with the disputed upload and calling for an investigation.
An internal memorandum dated September 2, 2026, reportedly asked Aliyu to explain whether he had any knowledge of or involvement in the disputed transaction.
Chukwuka’s legal team maintains that the developments raise further questions about the process through which Aliyu’s nomination was submitted, insisting that the party’s candidate must emerge in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the ADP’s own guidelines.
The court will now determine the issues raised in the suit, including the validity of the disputed primary and the nomination of Aliyu as the ADP’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
