A presidential aspirant of the People’s Redemption Party, Yakubu Kingsley, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the emergence of Donald Duke as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, Kingsley named the PRP, Duke and the Independent National Electoral Commission as defendants.
The suit, filed through his counsel, D.A. Sulyman, seeks to invalidate the outcome of the party’s presidential primary conducted on May 25, 2026, in which Duke emerged victorious.
Kingsley argued that Duke was not qualified to participate in the primary because he was allegedly not a registered member of the party when the PRP submitted its membership register to INEC on May 4, ahead of the primary election.
The plaintiff also questioned the integrity of the primary election results, alleging incidents of over-voting in some states.
He asked the court to determine “whether overvoting in states such as 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, where the registered members were 348 and the votes cast were 1,431; and in Kwara State, where the registered members were 55 and the votes cast were 82, would not call for the nullification of the said primary election.”
Kingsley is seeking a declaration that Duke was ineligible to contest the primary election and should not have been cleared by the party.
He also alleged that Duke failed to comply with the party’s screening requirements by not physically appearing at the national secretariat for the screening exercise.
The aspirant further asked the court to cancel the primary election results from Bauchi, Gombe and Kwara states over the alleged irregularities.
In addition, he wants the court to declare him the lawful presidential candidate of the party, maintaining that he satisfied all nomination requirements and remained a duly registered member of the PRP.
He is also seeking an order restraining INEC from recognising Duke as the party’s candidate and directing the electoral body to recognise him instead.
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In an affidavit attached to the suit, Kingsley stated that he is a registered member of the PRP from Auchi III Ward in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State and holds membership card number 2A8D8B20B2.
He told the court that he purchased the party’s nomination and expression of interest forms for ₦20 million and met all conditions required to contest the primary election.
“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.
According to him, he was screened and cleared to participate in the primary election.
Kingsley said, “To my utmost surprise, the name of the 2nd defendant (Duke) appeared as an aspirant despite the fact that he did not physically participate in the screening exercise together with other aspirants at the national secretariat of the 1st defendant.”
He also challenged INEC to produce the membership register submitted by the party to establish whether Duke was a registered member at the relevant time.
The aspirant alleged that objections had been raised by party members regarding Duke’s eligibility before the primary election but were ignored.
He further claimed that the primary election was characterised by irregularities and inflated voting figures.
“That I verily believe that the purported result declared in favour of the 2nd defendant does not represent the lawful votes cast by eligible members of the party.
“That, when unlawful and inflated votes are excluded, I emerge as the aspirant who secured the highest lawful votes in the presidential primary election,” he said.
The PRP had screened and cleared three aspirants for the presidential contest, including Duke, economist Dr Nnaoke Ufere and Kingsley.
Following the primary election held on May 25, the party announced Duke as its presidential candidate on May 26.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed June 22 for hearing in the matter after hearing notices were served on the parties involved.