Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Accord Party has requested a Federal High Court, Abuja to dismiss the go well with in search of the disqualification of all its candidates within the 2027 normal election.
The get together, in a preliminary objection, argued that the go well with has develop into statute barred, having been filed outdoors the 14 days prescribed by regulation.
The go well with marked: FHC/ABJ/CV/2524/2026, was filed by the get together’s National Secretary, Adebukola Ajaja.
However, the get together, in its objection filed by its lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), can also be querying the jurisdiction of the courtroom to entertain the go well with on the grounds that it relates to the difficulty of candidates’ nomination, which falls throughout the inside affairs of a political get together.
Besides, the get together can also be difficult the plaintiff’s locus standi to file the go well with for not being an aspirant within the main election performed on May 29, and that the right events weren’t included.
It argued that whereas the plaintiff needs the courtroom to nullify the nomination of its candidates, not one of the candidates to be affected by the result of the go well with had been made events to afford them the chance of being heard.
The get together additionally faulted the competence of the go well with on the grounds that it’s allegedly untimely as a result of the plaintiff failed to give it the required 21 days pre-action discover.
Accord, listed because the second defendant, argued that its main was performed in accordance with all related legal guidelines and pointers, including that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has since recognised its end result and the checklist of candidates duly submitted to the electoral umpire within the prescribed format.
It additional argued that, as in opposition to the plaintiff’s competition, the National Chairman and the National Organising Secretary may validly signal and submit candidates’ lists and varieties to INEC the place the National Secretary is unavailable according to Article 18 of the get together’s structure and Regulations 25(3), 28(2) of INEC’s Guidelines.
Accord Party added:”INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties didn’t in any approach specify that the plaintiff herein should signal the forwarding letter, neither did the structure of the second defendant require her (the plaintiff) to signal.
“The National Executives of the party expressly authorized the fourth defendant to co-sign with the 3rd defendant. No wrong has been done.”
Relying on the Supreme Court’s determination within the case of Jegede v. INEC, Accord Party argued that even when it was solely its nationwide chairman that signed, “the plaintiffs case is still bound to fail because the signature of the national chairman suffices on the authority of Jegede v. INEC.”
Accord Party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, said in a counter-affidavit, that opposite to the plaintiff’s declare that her duties had been usurped by the National Organising Secretary, she truly deserted her duties.
