By Ahmad Muhammad
BAUCHI — The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has instituted a suit at the Federal High Court in Bauchi challenging the eligibility of Senator Shehu Buba Umar to contest the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
The suit, numbered FHC/BAU/CS/68/2026, seeks a judicial interpretation of Sections 77(4), 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly regarding the membership register a political party is required to submit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before conducting its primaries.
The APM’s legal adviser, Barrister Jidauna Tula, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Bauchi, explaining that the party approached the court in the interest of justice and fairness.
The suit names INEC, the PRP and Senator Shehu Buba as defendants.
According to Tula, the APM is challenging the senator’s participation in and emergence from the PRP governorship primary, alleging that his name was absent from the party’s membership register submitted to INEC within the statutory period.
He further alleged that Senator Buba was still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when the PRP submitted its membership register, raising questions about his eligibility to participate in the party’s governorship primary held on May 25, 2026.
Counsel to the APM, Barrister Benjamin Sati, said the originating summons asks the court to determine whether Senator Buba’s participation in the PRP primary and his subsequent nomination as the party’s governorship candidate complied with the Electoral Act 2026.
The party is also asking the court to determine whether the PRP complied with the law by submitting its membership register on or before May 10, 2026, ahead of its May 25 primary.
The APM contends that Sections 77(4) and 77(5) prescribe the statutory requirements for submitting membership registers and determining eligibility to participate in party primaries, while Section 77(6) prohibits a political party from relying on a different membership register from the one submitted to INEC within the stipulated period.
On this basis, the party argues that Senator Buba’s alleged absence from the relevant PRP register renders his participation in the primary and subsequent nomination unlawful.
The APM is consequently seeking a declaration that INEC’s publication of Senator Buba’s name on October 10, 2026, as the PRP governorship candidate for Bauchi State is unlawful, null and void.
It is also asking the court to direct INEC to remove his name from the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election if the court finds that his nomination contravened the law.
The suit places the interpretation and application of the Electoral Act’s provisions on political party membership registers and eligibility for primaries at the centre of the dispute.
The allegations contained in the suit are yet to be determined by the court.
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