The Accord political party has asked a federal high court in Abuja to dismiss a suit seeking to disqualify all its candidates from contesting in the 2027 general election.
The party, in a preliminary objection filed through Musibau
Adetunbi, its counsel, challenged the competence of the suit, marked
FHC/ABJ/CV/2524/2026, instituted by Adebukola Ajaja, its national secretary.
Accord argued that the suit was statute-barred because it
was filed outside the 14-day period prescribed by law.
It also questioned the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that
the dispute concerns the nomination of candidates, which it described as an
internal affair of the party.
The party further challenged Ajaja’s locus standi, arguing
that she was not an aspirant in the primary election held on May 29, 2026, and
therefore lacked the legal standing to institute the action.
Accord also faulted the suit for failing to include the
candidates whose nominations the plaintiff wants nullified, saying they are
necessary parties who should have been given the opportunity to defend their
interests.
Another ground of objection was that the action was
premature because Ajaja allegedly failed to serve the party with the required
21-day pre-action notice.
Beyond the preliminary objections, Accord defended the
conduct of its primary election, insisting that it complied with relevant laws
and electoral guidelines.
It said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
had recognised the outcome and that the names of its successful candidates were
submitted to the commission in the prescribed format.
The party also disputed Ajaja’s contention that the
submission of candidates’ names was invalid because she did not sign the
forwarding letter to INEC.
Accord insisted that its national chairman and national
organising secretary were authorised to sign and submit the candidates’ list in
the absence of the national secretary, citing article 18 of its constitution
and regulations 25(3) and 28(2) of INEC’s guidelines.
“The national executives of the party expressly authorised
the fourth defendant to co-sign with the 3rd defendant. No wrong has been
done,” the party argued.
Accord further relied on the supreme court’s decision in
Jegede v. INEC, arguing that even if only its national chairman had signed the
forwarding letter, the submission would remain valid.
“The plaintiff’s case is still bound to fail because the
signature of the national chairman suffices on the authority of Jegede v.
INEC,” it said.
In a counter-affidavit, Maxwell Mgbudem, the party’s
national chairman, accused Ajaja of abandoning her responsibilities, alleging
that she had stopped attending meetings of the national working committee
(NWC).
Mgbudem said Ajaja was absent from the three most recent
consecutive NWC meetings and that the committee had authorised him and Ibe
Kenechukwu ThankGod, the national organising secretary, to jointly sign the
forwarding letter for successful candidates.
He said the decision was taken at an NWC meeting on May 24,
2026, under his leadership.
According to Mgbudem, he and ThankGod subsequently forwarded
the names of the party’s successful candidates electronically to INEC after the
May 29 primaries, except for the presidential election, for which the party did
not conduct a primary.
The chairman also stated that, as the party’s chief
executive, he had the authority to sign documents on its behalf and assign
functions to other party officers under Article 18 of its constitution.
He further explained that electronic submission of INEC
forms did not require physical signatures on every document, given the volume
of political parties and candidates participating in the 2027 elections.
Mgbudem also questioned Ajaja’s handling of party funds and
accused her of making inaccurate claims about the number of court cases arising
from the primaries. He said at least 16 cases had been filed in connection with
the exercise.
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