The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until Oct. 14 a suit seeking to nullify the emergence of Senator Ireti Kingibe as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed the new date on Tuesday after lawyers representing the parties agreed to an adjournment.
At the commencement of proceedings, counsel to Kingibe, Marshal Abubakar, informed the court that he was appearing under protest because his client had not been served with the originating court processes.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Mubarak Tijani, Moses Awuru, admitted that the court bailiff had not served Kingibe with the documents. He explained that he only became aware of the development on Monday.
Responding to the judge’s inquiry, Awuru confirmed that the bailiff had been mobilised for the service. He also told the court that he had earlier spoken with Abubakar, who indicated he would accept service of the court documents.
However, Abubakar maintained that he only became aware of the case through social media and had personally applied to obtain copies of the court processes.
Counsel for the ADC, Oladipupo Oladele, informed the court that the party had already been served and had filed a preliminary objection alongside a counter-affidavit challenging the suit.
Senator Ireti Kingibe
Justice Ibrahim subsequently directed the plaintiff’s counsel to ensure that Kingibe is properly served with the court documents and adjourned the matter until Oct. 14 for definite hearing.
The court also ordered that hearing notices be issued and served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was not represented during Tuesday’s proceedings.
Plaintiff Seeks Fresh Primary Election
The suit was filed by ADC senatorial aspirant Mubarak Tijani, who is asking the court to invalidate the outcome of the party’s FCT senatorial primary election that produced Kingibe as its candidate.
In the suit, filed through his lawyer, Kolawole Olowookere, SAN, Tijani is seeking an order restraining the ADC from forwarding Kingibe’s name to INEC as its candidate for the 2027 election.
He also wants the court to stop INEC from accepting, recognising or publishing Kingibe’s name, arguing that the May 21 primary election violated the Electoral Act 2026, the ADC Constitution and the party’s guidelines for conducting primary elections.
Tijani further urged the court to declare the primary election unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void and to direct the party to conduct a fresh, transparent and credible primary under INEC’s supervision.
Allegations of Irregularities
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1170/2026, Tijani named Kingibe, the ADC and INEC as the first, second and third defendants, respectively.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, the plaintiff stated that he is a registered member of the ADC and had duly purchased the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination forms before being screened and cleared to participate in the primary election.
He said he actively campaigned and consulted with delegates and party stakeholders across the FCT after his clearance.
According to Tijani, the party fixed May 21 for the primary election and communicated the date and venue to aspirants, party members and INEC.
He alleged that although aspirants and delegates assembled at the designated venue on the scheduled date, election materials were never deployed and no accreditation or voting took place.
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“Election materials required for the conduct of the primary election were not deployed to the designated venues.
“I know that the aspirants, party members and supporters waited for several hours in anticipation of the commencement of voting.
“I know as a fact that no accreditation or voting exercise was conducted at the designated venue,” he stated.
Tijani further alleged that electoral officials and materials meant for the primary were diverted to a private property in Gudu, Abuja, which he claimed belongs to Kingibe and was not an approved venue for the exercise.
According to him, no lawful voting took place at the location, yet results were later compiled and Kingibe was declared the winner.
“I later discovered that results were being surreptitiously collated at the premises of the 1st defendant notwithstanding the fact that no primary election took place,” he alleged.
The plaintiff maintained that the purported result did not emerge from any valid voting process and argued that he and other party members were denied the opportunity to participate in a free, fair and transparent primary election.
He urged the court to intervene, warning that unless the alleged outcome is set aside, the defendants would continue to rely on what he described as a fabricated result to his detriment and that of other party members.
