Redemption Party, Yakubu Kingsley, has challenged the emergence of former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, Kingsley, through his lawyer, D.A. Sulyman, instituted the suit against the PRP, Duke and the Independent National Electoral Commission as first, second and third defendants respectively.
The aggrieved aspirant is asking the court to nullify Duke’s emergence as the party’s flagbearer, alleging that the former governor was not a registered member of the party at the time required by law and party regulations.
In the originating summons filed on June 10 and obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, Kingsley asked the court to determine whether Duke was validly returned as the PRP presidential candidate in the May 25 primary election, the result of which was declared on May 26, despite allegedly not being a registered member of the party as of May 4 when the PRP membership register was submitted to INEC.
He also questioned the validity of votes recorded during the primary election in some states, alleging incidents of over-voting.
The plaintiff asked the court to determine “whether over voting in states like Bauchi, where the registered members of the 1st defendant in its membership database is 593 and the total votes cast was 760, in Gombe State the registered member was 348 and the votes cast was 1,431 and in Kwara State, the registered members is 55 while the vote cast was 82 votes, will not call for the nullification of the said primary election.”
Kingsley is seeking a declaration that Duke was ineligible to participate in the presidential primary because he was allegedly not a registered member of the party at the relevant time.
