A presidential aspirant of the Action Democratic Party, Dr Johnson Chukwuka, has dragged the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the emergence of Abbas-Bin Aliyu as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
His campaign media team disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.
In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1853/2026, Chukwuka is asking the court to declare that the ADP did not conduct a valid presidential primary on May 29 and 30, 2026.
He also challenges what he described as the “purported declaration” of Aliyu as the primary winner and the subsequent submission of his name to INEC as the party’s presidential candidate.
The plaintiff said the submission of Aliyu’s name, which was published on INEC’s notice board on August 1, was “wrongful, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.”
The statement partly read, “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, insisting that both the courts and INEC must strictly follow the rule of law to correct what he describes as a fundamental breach of the Electoral Act.
“Chukwuka is seeking an order voiding the purported results and a declaration that he is the duly elected ADP presidential candidate from the primaries held on May 29 and 30.
“He is also asking the court to declare him the duly elected presidential candidate of the ADP from the May 29 and 30 primary. Chukwuka contends that the disputed process violated Sections 29, 77, 84, 86 and 88 of the Electoral Act 2026, as well as the party’s guidelines for the conduct of its primaries.”
The suit has added to the dispute surrounding the ADP’s presidential ticket, with the party itself petitioning the Inspector-General of Police over an alleged unauthorised upload of a presidential nomination form to the INEC portal.
In a letter dated August 31, 2026, the party had alleged that the nomination form was prepared and uploaded by Fatima Mustapha, a former staff member and former INEC liaison officer whose authority to handle candidate-upload matters had allegedly been withdrawn.
The ADP described the alleged action as unauthorised and raised concerns about possible electoral offences, cybercrime and the presentation of an unauthorised document as an official party nomination.
The party also wrote to the INEC Chairman, requesting the preservation of the electronic audit trail, login records and IP addresses connected to the disputed upload, as well as an investigation into the transaction.
In a separate memorandum dated September 2, the party’s National Chairman reportedly asked the presidential candidate to provide a written explanation of any knowledge or involvement in the disputed upload.
Chukwuka’s legal team, however, believed that the developments reinforced its position that the process that produced Aliyu as the party’s candidate was flawed.
The suit is seeking judicial intervention to determine the validity of the ADP’s presidential nomination process ahead of the 2027 election.
