Former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Sam Amadi, has criticised the conduct of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, primary elections, describing them as poorly organised and heavily rigged.

In a post on X on Thursday, Amadi said the NDC’s primaries were the weakest among the major political parties that recently conducted internal elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, also conducted flawed primaries, but the African Democratic Congress, ADC, was comparatively better organised despite alleged irregularities.

He ranked ADC first in terms of organisation, APC second and NDC last, while maintaining that all three parties conducted heavily manipulated primaries.

Amadi argued that it was difficult to achieve credible primaries under the prevailing political environment and timelines, adding that the NDC’s performance could partly be attributed to the short period available for preparations.

Amadi wrote: “@NigeriaNDCHQ had bad primaries. Nothing special about it. @OfficialAPCNg primaries were similarly horrible.

“@ADCNig is the only major party that had a ‘well-organized’ primary. But it was similarly rigged. ‘Well-organized’ means ‘better coordinated’, ‘well-structured’. It does not mean ‘free and fair’.

“So, the verdict remains the same: ADC comes first and APC second on organization. NDC comes last. But, all had very rigged primaries. It is almost impossible to have ‘free and fair’ primaries under the current regime and timelines.

“NDC has done relatively better than other parties considering it had shorter time to do much. it could have done better with its primaries but many greedy and poor people in Nigerian politics. It has to step up now if it wants to be taken as Nigeria’s main opposition.”

The Bauchi State High Court No. 2 has dismissed a suit challenging the governorship primary of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and awarded a total cost of N2 million against the claimant, Barrister Idrees Gambo.

In its ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice Kunaza Hamidu struck out Suit No. BA/181/2026 filed against the PRP, its governorship candidate, Senator Shehu Umar Buba, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The judge held that the application before the court was no longer sustainable in view of developments that occurred during the proceedings.

Consequently, the court dismissed the suit and awarded N1 million each to the first and second defendants, bringing the total cost awarded against the claimant to N2 million.

Gambo, through his counsel, Ahmed Adam, had approached the court alleging that he was excluded from the PRP governorship primary, challenging what he described as irregularities in the party’s nomination process.

However, during the hearing, the claimant’s counsel informed the court of his intention to discontinue the case.

Counsel for the PRP, Muhammad Maidoki, opposed the move, arguing that the matter had progressed substantially and that parties had already joined issues before the court.

He urged the court to dismiss the suit rather than allow its withdrawal at that stage.

After considering submissions from both sides, the court upheld the defendants’ position, dismissed the case, and awarded costs against the claimant.

Speaking after the judgment, counsel to Senator Shehu Buba, Jibrin Jibrin, described the ruling as a welcome development that brings certainty to the political process and ends concerns generated by the litigation.

According to him, the judgment clears the way for political activities and preparations to proceed unhindered.

He also commended the judiciary for what he described as a decisive and timely intervention and urged stakeholders to exercise caution in making public comments on matters before the courts.

Reacting to the verdict, the Bauchi State chairman of the PRP, Abdulrahman Muazu, expressed satisfaction with the outcome and called on party members to remain calm, focused, and united as the party moves forward.

The United Kingdom has said it is closely monitoring Nigeria’s democratic process and is keenly interested in the country’s next general elections scheduled for 2027.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, stated this on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja.

Montgomery said the UK would continue to respect Nigeria’s sovereignty but noted that developments in the country are important to Britain because of its economic, financial, and security interests.

He disclosed that the UK would send observer delegations to the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States.

“We will send delegations to observe the elections because these will be the final off-season governorship elections before the general elections next year. We want to see peaceful, credible and successful elections,” he said.

The envoy stressed the significance of Nigeria to the UK, describing it as Africa’s largest country and a key partner.

“We will always approach Nigeria with respect. Nigeria is by far the largest country in Africa and what happens here matters greatly. We have significant economic, financial and security investments in Nigeria, and therefore Nigeria’s stability and democratic success are important to us,” Montgomery added.

He also reaffirmed Britain’s support for Nigeria’s democratic institutions and expressed confidence in the country’s electoral future.

“We are investing in Nigeria’s democracy because we believe in its future. We wish Nigeria well as events unfold towards the next general election,” he said.

Speaking earlier, APC National Chairman Yilwatda assured the British envoy that the ruling party would encourage issue-based campaigns in the forthcoming off-cycle elections.

According to him, APC candidates would avoid inflammatory rhetoric capable of creating political tension, while the party remains committed to peaceful and responsible political engagement.