The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Senator Shehu Buba Umar over his eligibility to contest the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election on the PRP platform.
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The party is asking the Federal High Court in Bauchi to nullify Buba’s nomination, alleging that his participation in the PRP governorship primary breached provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
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The APM’s legal adviser, Barrister Jidauna Tula, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Bauchi. He said the suit seeks a judicial interpretation of the law governing political party membership registers and eligibility for primary elections.
The case, filed under suit number FHC/BAU/CS/68/2026, seeks the enforcement of Sections 77(4), 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act 2026.
According to Tula, Buba had earlier participated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary before emerging as the PRP candidate for the 2027 election.
The APM alleged that Buba’s name was missing from the PRP membership register submitted to INEC within the period prescribed by law, raising questions about his eligibility to contest the party’s governorship primary.
In its originating summons, the party is asking the court to determine whether Buba’s participation in the PRP primary held on May 25, 2026, and his subsequent emergence as the party’s candidate were lawful.
It also wants the court to determine whether his alleged absence from the membership register submitted to INEC affected his eligibility to participate in the primary.
The party further asked the court to establish whether Buba’s alleged continued membership of the APC when the PRP submitted its register affected his eligibility to contest on the PRP platform.
The APM is also seeking clarification on whether the PRP complied with Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act by submitting its membership register to INEC on or before May 10, 2026, ahead of the governorship primary conducted on May 25.
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It wants the court to determine whether the PRP could rely on any membership register other than the one submitted to INEC within the statutory period to establish Buba’s eligibility.
The party is challenging INEC’s publication of Buba’s name as the PRP governorship candidate on October 10, 2026. It argues that the commission should not retain his name if the court finds that his participation in the primary and subsequent nomination violated the law.
Consequently, the APM is seeking a declaration that the publication of Buba’s name as the PRP candidate is unlawful, null and void. It also wants the court to order INEC to remove his name from the final list of candidates for the 2027 Bauchi governorship election.
Explaining the legal basis of the suit, Tula said Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before their primaries, congresses or conventions.
He explained that Section 77(5) addresses eligibility in relation to the applicable membership register, while Section 77(6) restricts political parties from relying on a different register from the one submitted within the stipulated period.
Tula alleged that since the PRP was required to submit its register by May 10, 2026, Buba’s alleged omission from the document raised questions about his participation in the primary held later that month.
He further claimed that Buba remained an APC member as of May 19, 2026, nine days after the reported deadline for the PRP to submit its membership register.
The APM legal adviser maintained that Buba’s participation in the primary and emergence as the party’s candidate, despite the alleged omission, contravened the Electoral Act.
The party also argued that INEC’s inclusion of Buba on the final list of governorship candidates was based on a nomination it considers unlawful.
The allegations contained in the suit are yet to be determined by the court.
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