The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise and publish the names of candidates submitted by the African Democratic Congress for the February 21 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
Justice Mohammed Umar gave the directive on Tuesday, January 20, while delivering judgment in a suit filed by 17 ADC candidates who challenged INEC’s refusal to grant the party electronic access to upload their details for the polls.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1907/25, arose after INEC declined to acknowledge the list forwarded by the ADC leadership under its chairman, Senator David Mark.
In his ruling, Justice Umar said the plaintiffs successfully established their claims, describing the evidence before the court as credible and persuasive.
“The evidence provided by the plaintiffs were credible enough for him to attach a ‘more probate value’,” the judge held, while granting all the reliefs sought by the claimants.
Following this, the court ordered INEC to recognise and publish the plaintiffs as ADC candidates for the positions they contested during the party’s substitution primary election ahead of the 2026 FCT Area Council polls.
Justice Umar also directed INEC to grant the ADC electronic access to upload the candidates’ names on its portal, relying on Sections 29(1), 31, 33 and 84(1)(5)(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, alongside INEC election guidelines.
The candidates listed by the court include Jafaru Shaibu, Ayenajeyi Yakubu, Dauda Awode, Ezra Zaki, Sunday Abraham, Ayuba Adam, Jamilu Kabiru, Nuhu Madaki, Ibrahim Aliyou and Ogwuche Linus.
Others are Chibuike Anyika, Okechukwu Ironkwe, Godwin Adoga, Agada John, Onuoha Goodness, Mahrazu Bichi and Tobias Obechina.
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The plaintiffs told the court that INEC blocked the ADC from uploading their names despite their emergence through valid party processes.
In a 27-paragraph affidavit sworn to by Onuoha Goodness, one of the plaintiffs, it was stated that the first to 16th claimants emerged from a primary election conducted after earlier candidates withdrew, before the August 11, 2025 deadline.
She added that the 17th plaintiff was nominated as the ADC vice-chairmanship candidate for the Abuja Municipal Area Council election.
Goodness said the party later attempted to upload their details but was denied access.
She stated that the ADC “made efforts to upload to our INEC Forms EC9 and EC13 categories to the portal but could not get access to do so”.
She further explained that interactions between both organisations’ ICT departments revealed that “the substitution notification letter from ADC to INEC was the issue as the access code given to ADC through her former National Chairman could not be used by the current National Chairman of the ADC since INEC did not recognize the signatures of the current National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, that is Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola”.
The plaintiffs also said INEC refused to accept a letter from their lawyer, Kalu Agu, seeking portal access.
“INEC is hell-bent on denying ADC access to upload our names on the INEC portal,” they submitted.
After resolving all issues in favour of the plaintiffs, Justice Umar ordered INEC to grant the required access and publish the candidates’ names accordingly.