2027: APM Sues INEC, PRP, Deputy Governorship Candidate Over Eligibility

From.Paul Orude Bauchi

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Bauchi challenging the eligibility of Tijjani Aliyu Mohammed, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) deputy governorship candidate, to contest the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election.

The party is questioning the legality of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) publication of Mohammed’s name as the PRP running mate, arguing that his name was not included in the party’s membership register submitted to INEC before the deadline.

The suit, marked FHC/BAU/CS/70/2026, was filed against INEC, Mohammed and the PRP.

Speaking to journalists in Bauchi, APM’s Legal Adviser, Barrister Jidauna Tula, said the party approached the court to seek an interpretation of Sections 77(4), 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act 2026 concerning the eligibility of the PRP deputy governorship candidate.

Tula said the party was also asking the court to determine whether INEC’s publication of Mohammed’s name on October 10, 2026, complied with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and Sections 177(c) and 187(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

According to him, the APM contends that Mohammed’s name was absent from the PRP membership register submitted to INEC on May 10, 2026.

The party further alleges that Mohammed remained a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when the PRP submitted its register.

The suit also challenges the PRP’s compliance with the statutory requirement to submit its membership register to INEC at least 21 days before its primary election, which the party reportedly held on May 25, 2026.

Among the reliefs sought, Tula said, is a declaration that the publication of Mohammed’s name as the PRP deputy governorship candidate was unlawful, null and void.

The party is also seeking a mandatory order directing INEC to remove Mohammed’s name from its final list of candidates for the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election.
The APM’s counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Luka Musa Haruna, is pursuing the reliefs on behalf of the party.

Last week, the APM also filed a separate suit challenging the eligibility of the PRP governorship candidate, Senator Shehu Buba Umar, to contest the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election. Buba’s legal team, however, maintained that his candidacy was lawful.