The hardline stance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its May 30 deadline for the conduct of primaries ahead of next year’s elections has sparked anxiety in some of the parties said to be flirting with the idea of fresh primaries.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, had warned that political parties conducting primaries outside the commission’s approved window risked having their candidates rejected pending the outcome of ongoing court appeals.
“Any primary held outside INEC’s May 30 deadline will be invalid unless the Court of Appeal overturns the Federal High Court judgment,” Haruna said.
The commission is contesting at the Court of Appeal a recent judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja nullifying aspects of the timetable issued by INEC for key pre-election activities, including the conduct of primary elections of political parties.
The FHC said the electoral body acted outside its statutory powers under the Electoral Act 2026.
Although some of the parties had hailed the court’s decision as a welcome development, all of them tried to keep to the INEC time table especially, the May 30 deadline for the conduct of the primaries and the resolution of disputes arising from them.
Their fear was that they would be putting the chances of their candidates in jeopardy should the Appeal Court or the Supreme Court rule in favour of INEC.
African Democratic Congress (ADC) members in Kaduna State are worried about the implications of the rerun of the primaries in several constituencies ordered by the party’s appeals committee.
The committee said its decision was based on alleged widespread irregularities, exclusion of some of aspirants and questionable electoral processes.
The committee, chaired by Dr Muhammed Fagge, ordered fresh exercises in Ikara/Kubau, Kaduna South and several state constituencies — a move that may now collide directly with INEC’s deadline.
Observers said unless the Court of Appeal grants relief, parties conducting reruns after May 30 could face disqualification battles capable of weakening opposition momentum before the 2027 contest.
The latest controversy has also intensified fears of another prolonged season of pre-election litigations reminiscent of the crises that trailed previous election cycles.
Party sources said the legal uncertainty has created confusion over candidate legitimacy, consensus arrangements and substitution procedures.
The ADC, which is currently entangled in a legal battle over its leadership, is also up against a fresh crisis over its presidential candidate.
A faction led by Abdulkadir Mohammed Bashir on Sunday adopted former presidential candidate of the party Dumebi Kachikwu as its consensus flag bearer for the 2027 election.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had earlier emerged as the presidential candidate of the David Mark-led national executive council in the primaries.
Party sources said that following the May 25th primary, the Mark-led ADC embarked on a two-track strategy of managing grievances while simultaneously processing the ratification and nomination of candidates for submission to INEC.
The party had established appeal and review mechanisms before the primaries, including a Presidential Appeals Committee chaired by Dr. Suleiman Usman (SAN), to handle disputes arising from the exercise.
However, despite publicly rejecting the outcome of the presidential primary, there is no indication that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, formally lodged a petition before the party’s appeals committee.
While businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen said he had formally communicated his observations and concerns to the party leadership, there is no record showing that he filed an appeal before the committee.
Amaechi had alleged widespread disenfranchisement during the primary, while Hayatu-Deen stayed away from the result collation and declaration ceremony, citing concerns over the conduct of the exercise.
Amaechi was also absent from the event where the final results were announced.
The absence of formal appeals has raised questions within party circles, particularly as the appeals committee was specifically constituted to address grievances arising from the presidential contest.
Party officials said reconciliation efforts remain ongoing and internal mechanisms are being deployed to address complaints from aggrieved aspirants in both presidential and legislative contests.
At its 101st meeting in Abuja on May 30, 2026, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Mark-led ADC ratified the results of the party’s recently concluded State Assembly, National Assembly, governorship and presidential primaries, except in cases where appeals were still pending or contests had not been concluded as of May 29.
The NEC also approved a 12-month extension of the tenure of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) from the expiration of its current mandate, while affirming the outcome of the presidential primary that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
Compounding the challenge for the party is the continued rivalry with the Bashir-led faction, which maintains that its convention and presidential nomination process complied with the ADC constitution.
Announcing Kachikwu’s emergence, chairman of the convention electoral committee, Hon. Elias Adikwu, said delegates adopted the former presidential candidate through a consensus arrangement endorsed by voice vote.
Although Atiku has reached out to his former rivals and called for unity within the party, unresolved grievances from the primary and the existence of a rival faction claiming ownership of the ADC may continue to test the party’s cohesion as preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum.
Court adjourns suit seeking deregistration of ADC, AA, others indefinitely
The Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday adjourned indefinitely proceedings in the suit seeking the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA) and others.
Justice Peter Lifu had fixed yesterday to deliver judgment in the suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against some political parties.
However, hearing in the case was stalled after the Accord Party secured a stay of proceedings from the Court of Appeal on May 29.
At the commencement of sitting, the court registrar informed all parties that judgment had been postponed and that a new date would be communicated in due course.
Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, Mr Raphael Igbokwe, expressed disappointment over the Appeal Court decision to grant a stay of proceedings.
Igbokwe, while speaking to newsmen, said the forum had already challenged the appellate court decision by filing an appeal against the stay of proceedings at the Supreme Court.
“We are concerned that a matter which had reached the stage of judgment has now been stalled through a stay of proceedings.
“In practical terms, it amounts to an arrest of judgment.
“Nevertheless, we remain committed to pursuing all lawful avenues to ensure that the issues raised in this case are resolved in the interest of strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and advancing constitutional and electoral jurisprudence,” he said.
He maintained that the forum’s actions were aimed at deepening democratic governance and promoting the development of constitutional and electoral law in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS /2637/2026 and instituted by the forum, named the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st defendants.
The plaintiff also joined several political parties, including the ADC, AA, Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party, among others, as defendants.
The plaintiff argued that the affected political parties failed to meet constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance.
It contended that political parties were required to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in prescribed elections to remain relevant under the law.
It, therefore, urged the court to order the deregistration of the parties, insisting that none of the defendants had effectively countered the argument.
‘I moved from frying pan to hell fire’ – Senatorial aspirant regrets dumping APC for NDC
The tension sparked by the primaries in the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is no less severe,with members alleging imposition of candidates and other malpractices.
A senatorial aspirant in Edo South, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinwa, yesterday expressed regret leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the NDC.
He said it was like jumping from frying pan to fire.
Agbonayinwa, a former member of the House of Representatives, said on Arise TV that he was denied the NDC senatorial ticket despite winning the primary.
His words: “I’ve moved from frying pan to hell fire. We had the direct primary after we couldn’t reach a consensus. They kept us in the room at the time with all other contestants for us to step down for each other, and we couldn’t do that.
“We went through rigorous processes. I understand that they are new, but I have never experienced this being with APC or being with PDP. Never. Where people were asked to go for primary… May 29 was the day the primary was conducted. Today is June 5 and elections have not been announced.
“The national leader of NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, a very good friend and a brother to me for many years. We are colleagues. He was the governor, now senator, a brother I respect dearly. When we were to leave NDC, I called him. He sent it to me and said, I should come to the house.
“I went to his house and he said, ‘Why can’t you go to the Senate under NDC?’ I said I will think about it, and for me, I was going for the House of Reps but when he offered that, I started thinking. I said I will consult with my leaders, which I did, and I told him, thank you. But to my greatest surprise, the same man who asked me to go and buy the form, this morning we had a meeting and he said he never said so.”
Party dismisses imposition claims, defends conduct of nationwide primaries
However, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Osa Osadolor yesterday dismissed allegations of irregularities and candidate imposition leveled at the NDC.
He told The Nation in Abuja that contrary to the allegations, the recently concluded presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly primaries, were transparent, consultative and conducted in line with the party’s constitution and guidelines.
He also dismissed allegations that supporters of the NDC presidential candidate,Mr.Peter Obi , are being sidelined within the party.
He said all political tendencies and interest groups enjoy equal opportunities and participation in its affairs.
“The NDC is a party of innovation committed to participatory and all-inclusive democracy by everyone,” Osadolor said.
“We came together with different tendencies — the Kwankwasiyya Movement, the Obedient Movement, the Countryman Movement, and even those who do not belong to any of those tendencies. However, the most important thing is that we subscribe to common core values.
“And those core values include discipline, commitment to the promotion of internal democracy, and giving everyone an equitable chance of participation,” he said.
Osadolor argued that members of all tendencies are actively involved in the party’s activities across the country, noting that no group enjoys preferential treatment.
“To say that the Obidient Movement is being sidelined while the Kwankwasiyya Movement is allowed to have freedom is not true. If you go to Kano, you will see that the Kwankwasiyya Movement also involves people from other tendencies.
“I think we should do our research properly to find out the truth rather than just pandering to sentiments. There is no way you can sideline the Obedient Movement. They are a veritable part of the NDC,” he said.
He acknowledged that disagreements were inevitable in a broad political coalition but maintained that members remained united by a common objective.
“Even within a family, there must be disagreements. But the most important thing is that we all have the same goal at heart — to salvage this country from its present state of misery and almost irrecoverable destruction,” he added.
The party spokesman also addressed reported grievances arising from the party’s recent primaries, particularly in parts of the South-East and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Describing the NDC as “a beautiful bride with many suitors,” Osadolor said disappointment among unsuccessful aspirants was a natural consequence of any competitive political process.
“The NDC is like a beautiful bride with so many suitors, but only one suitor can be allowed to pay the bride price. The other suitors naturally feel disappointed and react in different ways,” he said.
He said the party leadership has already begun efforts to heal divisions and reunite aggrieved members through a reconciliation process.
“We are working hard to ensure that everybody is on the same page. That is why the NDC set up a reconciliation committee after its National Executive Committee meeting of June 3, 2026,” he said.
And in a separate statement on the primaries,the party’s national secretary Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu said the party remains committed to inclusive leadership and internal democracy.
Addressing criticism emanating largely from the South-East, the NDC secretary explained that the party adopted a stakeholder-driven process in the zone, leveraging existing political structures associated with the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He said: “In the South-East geopolitical zone, our presidential candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi, came into the party with an established leadership structure comprising respected elder statesmen and political leaders who serve as caucus heads in their respective states.
Enekweizu said the caucus leaders were mandated to consult stakeholders, build consensus and make recommendations based on the peculiar political realities in their respective states.
“In addition, each state has recognized stakeholders and grassroots leaders who participate in consultations and make recommendations regarding party affairs,” he added.
The NDC scribe stressed that aspirants who disagreed with recommendations from caucus leaders or stakeholders were given the opportunity to test their popularity through the democratic process.
APC: Ignore fake senatorial candidates list, only NWC can announce candidates
The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday dismissed as fake a purported list of its senatorial candidates currently circulating on social media.
The party warned its members and the public against relying on unverified information.
National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, said the list did not emanate from the party.
According to him, only the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC has the authority to announce candidates who emerge from the party’s primary elections and other constitutionally recognised processes.
“The Party reiterates that only the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, acting through its duly authorized channels of communication, is empowered to announce the list of candidates emerging from its primary elections and other constitutionally prescribed processes,” he stated.
Morka further urged party faithful and stakeholders to exercise caution and refrain from sharing information that has not been verified by the party.
Party chiefs reject Agege APC primary results, allege result alteration
Some stakeholders of the party in the Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State yesterday stormed the party’s National Headquarters in Abuja, demanding an immediate review of the recently concluded primary election for Agege Constituency 01.
The protesting stakeholders, comprising the party chairmen and secretaries from all five wards in the local government, alleged alteration of results of the May 20, 2026 primary to favor a defeated aspirant.
Led by Mr. Johnson Kolawole, the group submitted a formal petition dated June 1, 2026, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and the National Working Committee (NWC).
Addressing a press conference at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja after submitting the petition, Kolawole stated that the move became necessary to prevent a subversion of the democratic will of the people.
He named Mr. Egunjobi Ganiyu Kola as the actual winner of the primary.
Giving a breakdown of the polls, the petitioners claimed that Egunjobi scored 9,132 votes out of a total of 10,126 votes cast across the five wards. Meanwhile, another aspirant, Mr. Oladipo Tunde Shola, polled 560 votes, while the published beneficiary, Mr. Michael Abiola, trail-ended with just 434 votes.
Kolawole maintained that Egunjobi was duly screened, cleared, and declared the winner by the designated returning officer, Hon. Kayode Kassim Eleshin, at the conclusion of the exercise.
“The primary election was monitored by APC officials, INEC observers, security agencies, journalists, and other stakeholders. The entire process was peaceful, transparent, and highly credible,” Kolawole noted.
