A Federal High Court has dismissed a suit in search of to invalidate the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidacy of Yakubu Danladi Salihu in Kwara State.
It dominated that the claimant lacked the authorized standing to problem his nomination.
The courtroom additionally dismissed the case on its deserves, rejecting the allegation that Danladi’s participation within the social gathering’s House of Assembly and governorship primaries amounted to double nomination.
Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over Court 9 of the Federal High Court in Abuja, additional awarded N10 million prices against the claimant, Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices Initiative.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1112/2026, was filed against the APC, Danladi and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The claimant had alleged that Danladi was unlawfully concerned in each the APC’s House of Assembly and governorship primaries and consequently requested the courtroom to nullify his participation, screening, nomination and sponsorship.
It additionally sought an order setting apart his emergence because the APC governorship candidate and directing INEC to reject his nomination.
But the defendants challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that the claimant lacked locus standi and that the courtroom lacked jurisdiction to entertain the motion.
Justice Nwite held that locus standi was elementary to the competence of an motion, whereas jurisdiction remained the brink problem that should be established earlier than a courtroom might validly decide the substantive claims.
Relying on Section 285(14) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the decide stated the legislation restricts who can institute pre-election actions to specified classes of aspirants and political events.
He stated Section 88(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 equally limits complaints over non-compliance within the choice or nomination of candidates to aspirants who participated within the related primaries.
Justice Nwite consequently held that the claimant, being a civil society organisation relatively than an aspirant who participated within the primaries or a political social gathering, had no locus standi to convey the motion.
The courtroom stated it examined the central allegation that Danladi had been doubly nominated and located that the claimant’s interpretation of the legislation was flawed.
The courtroom famous that an individual who participates in numerous classes of primaries performed by the identical social gathering, however whose title is in the end submitted to INEC for just one place, can’t be considered having been doubly nominated explaining that an individual turns into a candidate for the aim of the related statutory provisions when the political social gathering submits the particular person’s title to INEC.
Justice Nwite due to this fact rejected the argument that Danladi’s participation within the APC’s House of Assembly and governorship primaries routinely invalidated his governorship candidacy.
The courtroom held that double nomination, as contemplated by the Electoral Act 2026, was not established merely by collaborating in two main elections performed by the identical political social gathering.
It additional discovered that the allegations made by the claimant weren’t supported by ample proof.
The case was one of many authorized challenges that adopted the APC’s governorship main, which produced Danladi because the social gathering’s candidate after the competition.
A Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Legal Matters, Sambo Muritala, noticed the proceedings.
Justice Nwite resolved the problems in favour of the APC, Danladi and INEC and consequently dismissed the suit. He additionally ordered the claimant to pay N10 million in prices to the defendants.
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