Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court, Abuja, will today, begin hearing in a suit challenging the emergence of former Cross River Governor, Donald Duke as presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 general election.

The suit brought by an aggrieved aspirant, Yakubu Muhammed Kingsley, and filed by his lawyer, D.A. Sulyman, has the PRP, Duke and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

The plaintiff in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, is asking the court to determine whether Duke was dully returned as the presidential candidate of PRP in the May 25 primary election, in which its results was declared on May 26, having not been a registered member of the party as at May 4, when the PRP’s membership register was submitted to INEC.

Besides, Kingsley is asking the court to determine, “Whether over voting in states like Bauchi, where the registered members of the 1st defendant in its membership database is 593 and the total votes cast was 760, in Gombe State the registered member was 348 and the votes cast was 1,431 and in Kwara State, the registered members is 55 while the vote cast was 82 votes, will not call for the nullification of the said primary election.”

According to the plaintiff, if the questions raised are answered in the affirmative, the court should declare that the ex-governor, not been a registered member of PRP, cannot participate in the party’s primary election held on May 25 where he was declared the winner on May 26.

He also wants the court to declare that Duke ought not to have been cleared for the presidential primary election contest, having not complied with the guidelines of the party to be physically present for the screening at its national secretariat.

Kingsley is therefore, asking the court for an order setting aside the results of the presidential election conducted in Bauchi, Gombe and Kwara respectively on the grounds of over voting.

He is also praying for an order declaring him as the presidential candidate of PRP, having complied with all the party’s guidelines and been a registered member of the party.

Plaintiff further wants the court to direct INEC not to recognise Duke as PRP’s presidential flag bearer or to delete his name from its database as the presidential candidate of the party, and another order directing the electoral umpire to recognise him as PRP’s presidential candidate.

In the affidavit in support of the suit, Kingsley claimed that he physically attended the presidential screening exercise conducted by the party between May 15-19, 2026 at the National Secretariat of the PRP in Abuja, as stipulated in the Aspirants Checklist for Screening, a copy of which is herewith attached and marked as Exhibit ‘BB.’””

He said he was duly screened and cleared by the party to contest the presidential primary election conducted on May 25.

He said that to his utmost surprise, the name of the 2nd defendant (Duke) appeared as an aspirant despite the fact that he did not physically participate in the screening exercise together with other aspirants at the National Secretariat of the 1st defendant.

He said this was against INEC’s extant regulations and guidelines, mandating political parties to submit the names of their registered members at least 21 days before the conduct of the party’s primary.

Kingsley therefore, challenged the electoral umpire to produce its membership register submitted to it as at May 4.

He alleged that several objections and complaints were raised by members of the party concerning the eligibility of Duke.

Besides, the aggrieved aspirant alleged that the presidential primary election was characterised by widespread irregularities and manipulation.

According to him, in several states, the votes returned exceeded the total number of eligible registered members contained in the party register.