6 months to elections, APC, ADC, NDC battle court cases

With less than six months to the 2027 general elections, major political parties in the country are embroiled in multiple court cases that could shape the outcome of the polls, Daily Trust can report.

The legal battles are not limited to the opposition. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is also facing post-primary litigation despite repeated assurances by its leadership that internal mechanisms are resolving most disputes.

This is just as lawyers have warned that the decisions expected from the appellate courts on those cases could significantly influence the conduct of the elections and shape the legal framework within which elections would be held.

The court cases are mounting at a time the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable has entered a critical phase, with political parties having concluded their primaries and submitted candidates for the 2027 elections.

The commission is expected to publish the final list of candidates in September, making the pending court decisions potentially consequential.

Our correspondent reports that some of the cases major political parties are facing stemmed from either registration with the electoral body, leadership tussle, primary election crises or other issues associated with clash of interest.

All the major political parties have concluded their presidential, governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly primaries and submitted the names of their candidates to the INEC.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has a former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, as its presidential candidate; the African Democratic Congress (ADC) former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; and the People Redemption Party (PRP), a former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke. The INEC has recognised Wike-backed People Democratic Party (PDP)’s Sandy Onor.

ADC entangled in leadership tussle, faces deregistration

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is battling with the legitimacy of its leadership despite getting a favourable judgment from the Appeal Court affirming a former Senate President, David Mark.

Although, on two different occasions, both the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and the Supreme Court affirmed the leadership of David Mark, the substantive suit filed by a former deputy national chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala, is yet to be decided.

The ADC is also facing deregistration suit alongside four other parties, on which Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had ruled before the Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution.

Currently, the suit is still at the appellate court. The parties are asking the appellate court to set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, arguing that the trial judge erred in law by directing INEC to deregister them.

They contend that the decision was reached in error and have urged the appellate court to restore and preserve their legal status ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Cases against NDC spark unending debate

On its part, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has two court cases against it though its national leader, Seriake Dickson, had, a few months ago, said there was no pending litigation or appeal challenging the party’s registration.

One of the cases was filed by the protem Director of Organisation for All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Ahidjo Karlahi, the other one was filed by the Peace Movement Party (PMP) based on logo the party used for registration.

Karlahi, in the suit against INEC and the NDC, is challenging the commission’s decision relating to the registration and recognition of the political party and is asking the court to determine whether the registration complied with the applicable constitutional and statutory provisions.

Checks by our correspondent showed that the suit has been assigned to Justice Mohammed Umar by the Chief Justice of FHC, Justice Tsoho.

The court had earlier in December 2025 directed the INEC to register NDC. However, six months later, the court overturned its earlier judgement.

PRP in post-primary crisis

Although the People Redemption Party (PRP) is not facing a leadership crisis that warrants a court case, it is, however, facing a post-primary election case.

Shortly after its presidential primary, an aspirant, Yakubu Kingsley, filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja and  joined the PRP, Duke and the INEC as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively, prayiy the court to determine whether Duke was duly returned as the presidential candidate of PRP in the 25 May primary election having not been a registered member of the party as of May 4, when the party’s membership register was submitted to the INEC.

PDP pushes for INEC’s recognition in court

Recently, a Federal High Court in Abuja reserved judgment in a suit seeking to compel the INEC to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the PDP. Justice Salim Ibrahim fixed no date for judgment after the parties adopted their final written addresses in the suit.

The suit was instituted by members of the PDP Board of Trustees led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, asking the court to order the INEC to recognise the party’s INWC headed by Turaki.

Aggrieved members sue APC

Despite efforts being made by the ruling APC to resolve its cases internally, some of the post-primary cases found their ways to court.

In May 2026, eight aspirants of the APC in Akwa Ibom State sued the party and the INEC at the Federal High Court in Uyo over their alleged disqualification from the party’s State House of Assembly primaries.

The suit listed the applicants as Asuquo Okon, Uko Johnson, Kennedy Akpan, Effiong Bassey, Nsunwara Osung, Noah Okon, Nyoho Jackson and Godwin Umontuen. The respondents are the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the APC, the party’s state screening appeal committee, the national leadership of the APC and INEC.

In the originating summons dated 18th of May and filed through their counsel, Nsikak Ekpenyong and Uduak Ekanem, the applicants accused the respondents of breaching constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act in the conduct of the screening exercise for the 2026 State House of Assembly elections.

Similarly, a former senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District and aspirant in the just concluded APC National Assembly primaries, Ayo Arise, has gone to court to challenge the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary, claiming that he won the exercise.

Why cases litter courts – Lawyers

Commenting on the reasons court cases are mounting a constitutional lawyer, Barr. Peter Abang, noted that the democratic system in Nigeria is yet to be strengthened.

Abang argued that the lacuna in the 2026 Electoral Act has contributed to the growing court cases many major political parties are facing.

“Divergence of interests on all sides. If you look at it, someone may say that the ruling APC will be interested in all what happens in every other opposition political parties. For instance, if the judgement of Hon. Justice Peter Lifu stands, I mean if the judgement on the deregistration from both the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal stands, to whose benefit?

“It may be APC’s benefits, so, it is a question of interests. Everybody is just interested in getting something within the political space. The opposition is also interested in ensuring that APC doesn’t get the ticket whether gubernatorial, House of Reps or House of Assembly.

“If you look at the 2026 Electoral Act, it is greeted with all manners of lacunae, so many vacuums in the law that is subjected to interpretation, particularly the question of whether INEC can restrict the rights of individual to belong to a political party, whether I cannot leave a political party at any point in time and join another political party in view of the constitution,” he said.

On his part, Barr. Mustafa Adedibu, said: “The situation in the political arena where major political parties are entangled in court cases is a serious situation and its effect on our democracy may be far reaching if the trend is allowed to linger on.

“In an ideal society, membership of political parties should be because people subscribe to the party’s ideology and pledge their loyalty to them but in Nigeria politicians are loyal to their ambition (particularly their stomach) so they do not care what becomes of the party. This problem is as a result of the politics of stomach infrastructure that we play where politicians are willing to sacrifice party interest for personal gain.

“Most of these cases are issues that can be resolved using the internal party mechanisms but most of these politicians are serving two ministries.

“Another implication of these cases is that our courts are now overloaded with frivolous cases and the election is fast approaching. It is important that the courts do everything possible to ensure they get these cases resolved as soon as possible before the elections.

“The courts should also ensure that any litigant who institutes a case that amounts to a waste of the time of the court is adequately dealt with.”

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