The Federal High Court in Jalingo, Taraba State, has adjourned until July 1, 2026, for the definite hearing of a suit seeking the nullification of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship primary election in the state.

Justice Mashkur Salisu ordered the adjournment on Monday following the alleged failure of the defendants to file and serve their statements of defence.

The suit was filed by an APC chairmanship aspirant, Abdulhadi Lau, who is challenging the conduct and outcome of the party’s primary election.

Lau is asking the court to invalidate the exercise, alleging that he was unlawfully excluded from participating despite purchasing the party’s nomination forms and meeting all the requirements to contest the position.

According to the claimant, he completed all the necessary procedures and was duly qualified for the primary election but was denied the opportunity to participate in the process without any valid explanation.

He contended that his exclusion violated his constitutional rights and undermined the principles of internal democracy within the party.

Through his legal team, Lau urged the court to intervene and ensure that justice is served, arguing that allowing such actions to stand could set a dangerous precedent for the country’s democratic system.

He further appealed to the judiciary to protect the integrity of the electoral process, maintaining that the exclusion of qualified aspirants from party primaries threatens democratic governance.

During Monday’s proceedings, counsel informed the court that the defendants had yet to file their statements of defence, prompting Justice Salisu to adjourn the matter until July 1 for a definite hearing.

The court is expected to hear arguments from all parties on the adjourned date as the legal challenge over the APC chairmanship primary election in Taraba State continues.

Members of the David Mark-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, have staged a protest at the the Federal High Court in Abuja, urging the judiciary not to allow itself to be used to stifle opposition parties in Nigeria.

The demonstration is coming amid the ongoing legal battle between the David Mark-led ADC and the faction headed by Nafiu Bala.

The protesters alleged that the lawsuit filed by Bala, which the Supreme Court referred back to the Federal High Court, is a ploy to distract the opposition political party.

DAILY POST recalls that in April, the apex court set aside an order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja directing the parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum in the leadership tussle, a decision upon which INEC had acted in de-recognizing the David Mark leadership of the party.

The Supreme Court had, in a unanimous judgment delivered by a five-member panel, ordered the parties to return to the Federal High Court for an expeditious hearing of the suit filed by an aggrieved party chieftain, Nafiu Bala.

Details shortly…

Prominent Nigerian political movement and supporters of the 2027 vice presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso has kicked against a reported move by leadership of the party to drop some party candidates loyal to Kwankwaso.

Reports indicated that NDC has replaced several candidates earlier submitted by the Kwankwasiyya faction in Kano State over an alleged breach of a power-sharing agreement.

A document allegedly signed by Kano State Chairman of the party, Hon. Hussaini Isah Mairiga, says that the changes were made to reflect the earlier agreement on the distribution of party positions and elective tickets between the existing NDC structure and the Kwankwasiyya bloc.

The document, which was copied to the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, Kwankwasiyya leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and the party’s North-West Zonal Chairman, adjusted the list of both federal and state house assembly candidates.

When contacted by DAILY POST on Monday, the national spokesperson of the Kwankwassiyya Movement, Habib Mai-Lemo rejected the document, insisting that due processes were followed before aspirants from the Kwankwaso camp emerged candidates.

Expressing shock over the development, Mai-Lemo said the Kwankwassiyya Movement will for the moment, treat the report as a rumour, stating that the state chairman of the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC were part of the processes that produced the affected candidates.

He said, “I also saw on social media that some candidates are being dropped a week after the primaries were conducted.

“It was not Kwankwaso that sold nomination forms, it was the party and as such processes were followed either through consensus or primary election.

“All our candidates participated in the processes from start to finish. While the processes were going on, we never received any complaints from anybody. We didn’t block anybody from buying forms because at the first place we didn’t sell the forms.

“All the candidates followed due processes. We don’t know where this issue is coming from but we are waiting to see if it is true or not because we have not received a copy of the letter allegedly signed by the State Chairman of the NDC.

“We know that the state was part of the process. He was there when consensus took place, even INEC was there so for now, we are treating it as a rumour”.