AA presidential candidate questions INEC for naming rival as party's choice for 2027

Joseph Faduri, the Action Alliance (AA) presidential candidate supported by Kenneth Udeze’s faction, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for naming Rufai Omo-Aje as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

INEC’s final list of presidential candidates for the 2027 election includes Mr Omo-Aje as the AA presidential candidate.

But Mr Faduri, who is the candidate of the Udeze-led faction, claims the commission ignored a Court of Appeal decision. He believes this decision confirmed Mr Udeze as the true national chairman of the party.

Mr Faduri made these claims during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday. This comes amid a long-standing leadership fight within the AA.

The fight is about who really leads the party and whether the decisions made by both factions are valid.

The Court of Appeal issued decisions that Mr Udeze and his supporters use to support his claim to leadership.

In April, the appellate court in Makurdi dismissed an appeal that challenged the AA’s February 2025 national convention. Mr Udeze also points to an earlier Abuja Court of Appeal ruling that recognized him as the party’s national chairman.

At the same time, a September 2025 ruling from the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, favored the faction led by Omo-Aje. These conflicting court decisions are key to the ongoing argument about which faction can control the party and nominate candidates.

Mr Faduri accused INEC of following the Osogbo ruling instead of the decisions from the Court of Appeal.

"You would think that an INEC chairman, who is supposed to be a referee and not a player, should obey the high court order. But instead of following the Court of Appeal, the INEC chairman is sticking with the old High Court order," he said.

He raised concerns about how this dispute could affect the credibility of the 2027 election. He argued that INEC’s handling of the AA crisis might reduce public trust in the electoral process.

"Nigerians want a free and fair election. But if this process seems wrong from the start, then how can they trust an election where the umpire appears to be biased?" he said.

Mr Faduri mentioned that he has returned to court to force INEC to recognize his candidacy. He added that he has also reached out to the Attorney-General of the Federation for help.

"We have a case in court to make INEC recognize us. Actually, we have written to the Attorney-General of the Federation to also step in, so they can push INEC to do what is right," he said.

He believes the issue can still be settled before the election, saying INEC must follow the court orders.

"We just need INEC to do the right thing, because for this election to be free and fair, INEC must first obey court orders," he said.

INEC has not publicly replied to Mr Faduri’s latest claims.

The commission has continued with Mr Omo-Aje as the AA presidential candidate. The party sent Mr Omo-Aje’s nomination to INEC in July after he won the party’s presidential primary in May. INEC later included him in its final list of presidential candidates released this month.