A presidential aspirant of the People’s 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 number of 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.
He also prayed the court to declare that Duke ought not to have been cleared for the primary election, alleging that he failed to comply with the party’s screening guidelines by not physically appearing at the party’s national secretariat for screening.
The aspirant further asked the court to set aside the results of the primary election in Bauchi, Gombe and Kwara states on grounds of alleged over-voting.
In addition, he urged the court to declare him the valid presidential candidate of the party, arguing that he fulfilled all requirements stipulated by the party and remained a duly registered member.
Kingsley also sought an order directing INEC not to recognise Duke as the PRP presidential candidate and to remove his name from the commission’s database.
He also prayed for an order compelling the electoral body to recognise him as the party’s presidential flagbearer.
In an affidavit he personally deposed to in support of the suit, Kingsley said he is a registered member of the PRP with membership card number 2A8D8B20B2 and hails from Auchi III Ward in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
He told the court that he purchased the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms form the presidential election and paid a total of N20m to the party.
According to him, he met all nomination requirements and secured endorsements from the required number of party members.
“That I physically attended the presidential screening exercise conducted by the party between 15th and 19th May, 2026, at the National Secretariat of the 1st defendant in Abuja as stipulated in the Aspirants Checklist for Screening,” he stated.
Kingsley said he was duly screened and cleared to contest the May 25 presidential primary.
