A presidential hopeful from the Action Democratic Party, Dr Johnson Chukwuka, has taken the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission to the Federal High Court in Abuja. He is challenging the selection of Abbas-Bin Aliyu as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
His campaign media team shared this news in a statement released in Abuja on Friday.
In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2026, Chukwuka wants the court to rule that the ADP did not hold a proper presidential primary on May 29 and 30, 2026.
He is also contesting what he calls the “purported declaration” of Aliyu as the winner of the primary. He wants the court to reject the submission of Aliyu's name to INEC as the party’s presidential candidate.
Chukwuka claims that the announcement of Aliyu’s name, which appeared on INEC’s notice board on August 1, was “wrongful, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.”
The statement said, “Dr Johnson Chukwuka has filed an originating summons at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the nomination of Abbas-Bin Aliyu as the ADP presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections. He insists that both the courts and INEC must strictly follow the law to correct what he describes as a serious breach of the Electoral Act.
“Chukwuka is asking for an order to cancel the alleged results and declare him the rightful ADP presidential candidate from the primaries held on May 29 and 30.
“He also wants the court to recognize him as the duly elected presidential candidate of the ADP from the May 29 and 30 primary. Chukwuka argues that the process broke Sections 29, 77, 84, 86 and 88 of the Electoral Act 2026, along with the party’s rules for conducting its primaries.”
This lawsuit adds to the ongoing conflict around the ADP’s presidential ticket. The party has also filed a complaint with the Inspector-General of Police about an alleged wrongful upload of a presidential nomination form to the INEC portal.
In a letter dated August 31, 2026, the party claimed that the nomination form was created and uploaded by Fatima Mustapha, a former staff member and ex-INEC liaison officer. They said her authority to handle candidate uploads had been removed.
The ADP called this action unauthorized and raised worries about possible electoral crimes, cybercrime, and using an unofficial document as an official nomination.
The party also wrote to the INEC Chairman, asking for the electronic audit trail, login records, and IP addresses related to the disputed upload. They requested an investigation into the matter.
In a separate memo dated September 2, the party’s National Chairman reportedly asked the presidential candidate to explain any knowledge or involvement in the disputed upload.
Chukwuka’s legal team believes these events support their claim that the process that made Aliyu the party’s candidate was flawed.
The suit seeks court intervention to resolve the validity of the ADP’s presidential nomination process as the 2027 election approaches.
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