THE FEDERAL High Court in Abuja on Tuesday adjourned until October 14 a suit challenging 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 after counsel to the parties agreed to an adjournment.
At the resumed proceedings, counsel to Kingibe, Marshal Abubakar, told the court he was appearing under protest, arguing that his client had not been served with the originating court processes.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Moses Awuru, acknowledged that the court bailiff had yet to serve the processes on Kingibe. He informed the court that he became aware of the situation on Monday and confirmed that the bailiff had been mobilised for the service.
Awuru also said he had earlier discussed the matter with Abubakar, who, according to him, indicated a willingness to accept service of the court documents.
However, Abubakar maintained that he only became aware of the case through social media and subsequently applied for the court documents.
Counsel to the ADC, Oladipupo Oladele, told the court that the party had been served and had already responded by filing a preliminary objection and a counter-affidavit challenging the suit.
Justice Ibrahim directed the plaintiff’s counsel to ensure that the court processes were served on Kingibe’s counsel. The judge also ordered that hearing notices be issued and served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was not represented in court, before adjourning the matter to October 14 for definite hearing.
The suit was instituted by Mubarak Tijani, an aspirant in the ADC primary election for the FCT Senatorial District.
Tijani is asking the court to nullify the outcome of the party’s primary election, which produced Kingibe as its candidate for the 2027 election.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1170/2026, Tijani, through his counsel, Kolawole Olowookere (SAN), is seeking an order restraining the ADC from forwarding Kingibe’s name to INEC as its candidate and restraining the electoral commission from accepting, recognising or publishing her nomination.
He also wants the court to declare the May 21 primary election unconstitutional, unlawful, invalid, null and void on the grounds that it allegedly failed to comply with the Electoral Act, 2026, the ADC Constitution and the party’s guidelines for the conduct of primary elections.
The plaintiff is further seeking an order directing the ADC to conduct a fresh, transparent and lawful primary election for the FCT Senatorial District in compliance with the Electoral Act, the party’s constitution and relevant guidelines under INEC’s supervision.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, Tijani said he is a registered member of the ADC and a registered voter who purchased the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms, underwent screening and was cleared to participate in the primary election.
He stated that after campaigning and consulting with delegates and party stakeholders across the FCT, he attended the designated venue for the May 21 primary election.
According to him, election materials were not deployed to the venue, no accreditation or voting took place, and aspirants and party members who gathered for the exercise waited for several hours without the process commencing.
Tijani alleged that electoral officials and materials were diverted to a private property in Gudu, Abuja, which he claimed belongs to Kingibe, where no lawful primary election involving delegates was conducted.
He further alleged that results were later collated at the location despite the absence of any voting exercise and that Kingibe was subsequently declared the winner of the purported primary election.
The plaintiff argued that the alleged irregularities denied him and other party members the opportunity to participate in a free, fair and transparent primary election. He urged the court to intervene, contending that failure to do so would allow the defendants to rely on what he described as a fabricated result to his detriment and that of other party members.
