Court Adjourns Suit Challenging Duke’s PRP Presidential Candidacy to June 29
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has postponed hearing in a suit challenging the nomination of former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, as the presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 general elections.
Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned the case to June 29 following a request by the plaintiff’s counsel, Abdullahi Muhammad, who sought additional time to apply for substituted service of court documents on Duke.
When the matter, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, was called for the first time on Monday, only the plaintiff’s counsel appeared in court.
Muhammad told the court that while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been duly served with the originating summons, all attempts to serve Duke had been unsuccessful.
He therefore urged the court to grant a short adjournment to enable him file and move an application for substituted service on the second defendant.
After listening to the submission, Justice Umar granted the request and fixed June 29 for mention and hearing of the application.
The suit was filed by a dissatisfied PRP presidential aspirant, Dr. Yakubu Kingsley, who joined the party, Duke, and INEC as first, second, and third defendants respectively.
In the originating summons dated June 10 and filed through his counsel, D.A. Sulyman, Kingsley is asking the court to determine whether Duke’s emergence as PRP’s presidential candidate in the May 25 primary was valid, alleging that he was not a registered member of the party when its membership register was submitted to INEC on May 4.
He also challenged the conduct of the primary election, claiming it was affected by alleged over-voting in several states.
Kingsley cited discrepancies in the voting figures, including Bauchi, Gombe, and Kwara States, arguing that the figures exceeded the number of registered party members and therefore rendered the exercise invalid.
He is further asking the court to declare that Duke was not eligible to participate in the primary election, alleging he did not undergo the party’s screening exercise at its national secretariat.
The plaintiff is also seeking an order nullifying the results of the affected states and declaring him the rightful winner of the PRP presidential primary.
Additionally, he wants the court to restrain INEC from recognising Duke as the party’s presidential flagbearer and to instead recognise him as the authentic candidate for the 2027 election.
In his affidavit, Kingsley stated that he purchased the PRP nomination and expression of interest forms worth N20 million and participated fully in the screening exercise conducted in Abuja between May 15 and 19, 2026.
He alleged that Duke’s name appeared on the list of aspirants despite not physically participating in the screening process.
Kingsley maintained that the declared primary result did not reflect the lawful votes cast and insisted that when the allegedly inflated votes are removed, he emerged as the winner of the exercise.
He urged the court to grant his prayers in the interest of justice, insisting that the affidavit was deposed to in good faith under the Oaths Act.
