Aggrieved aspirants sue NDC, Kwankwsaso, seek fresh primaries in Kano, ₦200m compensation

A political ally of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Kano State has dragged the party and its state leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso, to court over the outcome of the party’s primary elections.

Kwankwaso is the running mate to Obi in the NDC’s presidential ticket for the 2027 general election.

The suit was filed by Shuaibu Abubakar, who was the Labour Party’s House of Representatives candidate for Fagge Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election, alongside four other aggrieved aspirants.

The plaintiffs are asking the Federal High Court in Kano to invalidate the nomination of Aminu Suleiman as the NDC candidate for Fagge Federal Constituency and nullify all the primary elections conducted by the party in Kano State.

The suit, filed by Moses Falana of Nayara Legal Consult, also has Mukhtar Muhammad, Mustapha Fanandas, Musa Yusuf and Mahfuz Yahuza as co-plaintiffs.

The aspirants alleged that the primaries conducted on May 28 violated the Electoral Act 2026, the NDC constitution and the party’s guidelines.

According to the court documents, the plaintiffs claimed the party unlawfully delegated the sale and distribution of its Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to a single individual, thereby denying qualified aspirants equal access to participate in the exercise.

They argued that the arrangement effectively allowed one faction to determine who could contest for elective positions, contrary to the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.

The plaintiffs further alleged that no valid primary election was conducted, claiming there was no proper accreditation of delegates, voting process, counting of ballots or collation of results.

They maintained that despite meeting the eligibility requirements, they were denied nomination forms for the governorship, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly primaries covering Fagge, Tarauni and Gwale constituencies.

According to the plaintiffs, the party breached its constitutional and statutory obligations by denying them a fair opportunity to contest the elections.

Among the reliefs sought, they asked the court to declare the entire May 28 primaries in Kano State null and void.

They also requested an order setting aside the certificate issued to Aminu Suleiman as the party’s House of Representatives candidate for Fagge Federal Constituency and restraining him from presenting himself as the NDC flagbearer.

The plaintiffs further urged the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising, publishing or accepting the names of candidates produced through the disputed primaries.

They also sought an order directing the NDC to conduct fresh primary elections for the affected constituencies in compliance with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.

In addition, the lead plaintiff requested a refund of the ₦2 million paid for his Expression of Interest and Nomination Form, as well as ₦200 million in general and exemplary damages for what he described as unlawful exclusion from the party’s nomination process.

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