Niger APC Sues Guber Candidates of PDP, SDP and Other Oppositions in Minna High Court

BY YM BINA

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger State has taking a legal action against Alhaji Mohammed Mamman Nami the Governorship Candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) and Guber Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed SAN in Minna.

The APC has decided to took the legal action against the candidates and others in Minna Division of the Federal High Court following their defection to opposition parties along with their large number of their supporters

The case was filed in the Minna Federal High Court and joined the independent Electoral Commission (INEC) as first defendant in the suit filed by eleven Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SANs) led by Jacob Johnson Usman of OJOCHOGWU Chamber in Abuja

Also joined as defendants included the People Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC),National Democratic Congress (NDC) and several individuals and Independent Electoral Commission INEC, as defendants.

Other individuals named in the originating summons include Peter Jiya, Sadiq Mohammed Rabiu, Musa Mamman, Alhassan Adamu Sonfada, Umar Isah, Abubakar Ndanusa and Zango Danlami Idris.

The legal action according to reports in Minna might not be unconnected to the the defection of former APC members to opposition political parties without allegedly completing the formal process of resigning their membership of the ruling party.

The Plaintiff who is the APC prays the Court for the following reliefs: A DECLARATION THAT UPON A PROPER INTERPRETATION of the provisions of Sections 77 (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Defendants whose names are not contained in the register of members of the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th Defendants submitted to the 1st  Defendant and whose names are contained in the registers of members of the Plaintiff (All Progressives Congress) submitted to the 1st Defendant are not eligible to be the candidates of the  3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th Defendants  for the Niger State Governorship and National Assembly and State Assembly Election scheduled for 2027.

The fresh litigation comes amid growing political realignments in Niger State following disagreements over the APC’s May 2026 primary elections and the emergence of opposition candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Nami,who emerged as the PDP governorship candidate, and Ndarani, the SDP governorship candidate, were among prominent stakeholders who subsequently moved to opposition platforms after disagreements within the ruling party.

Apparently, their defection has reshaped the political landscape in the state, with the opposition parties seeking to consolidate support ahead of the next governorship election.

The originating summons identifies the APC as the plaintiff, with the case instituted at the Federal High Court, Minna Judicial Division.

The development introduces another legal dimension to the political disagreement in the ruling party and some of its former members who has left the party to pursue their political ambitions in the opposition political parties in Niger state.