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The Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, dismissed a suit challenging the emergence of former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 election.
Justice Mohammed Umar held that the suit, filed by an aggrieved PRP presidential aspirant, Yakubu Muhammad Kingsley, was statute-barred, having been commenced outside the 14-day period prescribed by the Constitution for pre-election matters.
The judge consequently upheld the preliminary objections filed by the PRP and Duke against the competence of the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026.
The court nevertheless considered the substantive issues raised by Kingsley and resolved them in favour of the respondents.
On Duke’s alleged non-membership of the PRP, the court held that membership of a political party was an internal party affair and therefore outside its jurisdiction.
It also held that Kingsley failed to place before the court the party’s guidelines, which he alleged had been breached during the screening exercise.
On the allegation of over-voting during the PRP presidential primary in Bauchi, Gombe and Kwara states, the court held that the plaintiff failed to produce the party’s membership register, accreditation records and final primary election results to substantiate his claims.
The court consequently dismissed the suit and resolved the issues in favour of the PRP, Duke and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
