A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to invalidate the nomination of the Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Yakubu Danladi Salihu, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Presiding over Court 9, Justice Emeka Nwite dismissed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1112/2026 for lack of locus standi and lack of merit, awarding ₦10 million in costs against the claimant.
The suit was instituted on June 2, 2026, by a civil society group, Citizen Awareness Against Corruption & Social Vices Initiative, against the APC, Salihu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The claimant had alleged that Salihu engaged in “double nomination” by participating in both the APC’s House of Assembly and governorship primary elections, praying the court to nullify his candidature and order INEC to reject his submission.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Nwite held that the claimant lacked the legal standing to challenge the outcome of a political party’s primaries.
Citing Section 88(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 and judicial precedents including Madukolu v. Nkemdilim, the court affirmed that the right to challenge the nomination or selection process of a candidate is strictly reserved for aspirants who physically participated in the party primaries.
On the allegation of double nomination, the court clarified that under Section 30 of the Electoral Act 2026, participating in different primary categories within the same political party does not constitute double nomination, provided the party submits the candidate’s name for only one elective position to INEC.
“Double nomination in law means participation in the primaries of two different political parties,” Justice Nwite held, adding that a person legally becomes a candidate only when their name is formally submitted to the electoral umpire.
The court further ruled that under Sections 131 to 133 of the Evidence Act 2011, the claimant failed to discharge the burden of proof, describing the petition’s claims as speculative and devoid of evidence.
The court proceeding was observed by the Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Legal Matters, Sambo Muritala.