A woman, Rakiya Asabe Nakorji, has dragged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidate for the Kawo State Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yunusa Muhammed Salisu, before the Federal High Court in Kaduna over the party’s nomination for the 2027 general election.
Nakorji, who claims to have won the NDC primary election conducted for the constituency, is challenging the emergence of Salisu as the party’s candidate, alleging that her name was unlawfully replaced after she had been declared winner of the exercise.
The suit, filed at the Kaduna Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, is marked FHF/KO/CS/182/2026, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) joined as the third defendant.
In the originating summons filed on September 11, 2026, Nakorji is asking the court to determine whether the alleged submission of Salisu’s name to INEC by the NDC, instead of hers, was consistent with the applicable provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
The plaintiff is also challenging what she described as the unilateral decision of the party to submit Salisu’s name after the May 29, 2026 primary election.
According to the court documents, Nakorji is a member of the NDC from Hayin Banki Ward in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State. She said she purchased the party’s nomination form to contest the Kawo State Constituency seat in the 2027 Kaduna State House of Assembly election.
She stated that she subsequently underwent the party’s screening process and was cleared to participate in the primary election.
Salisu, according to the plaintiff, was also screened and cleared alongside her after both aspirants fulfilled the requirements contained in the party’s electoral guidelines.
The plaintiff alleged that the NDC subsequently conducted the primary through direct primaries on May 29, 2026.
Nakorji maintained that she emerged as the winner of the exercise after securing the highest number of valid votes cast by eligible party members who participated in the primary.
She further claimed that, following her alleged victory, her name was included in a compilation of aspirants who had won their respective primary elections for onward transmission to INEC.
However, the plaintiff said she later discovered that her name had been removed and replaced with that of Salisu.
According to the affidavit supporting the suit, Nakorji described the development as unexpected and unlawful.
“To the Plaintiff’s greatest surprise and dismay, the name of the 1st Defendant was wrongly and unlawfully submitted to the 3rd Defendant as candidate,” the affidavit stated.
The plaintiff specifically alleged that Salisu did not win the May 29 primary election and did not obtain the highest number of valid votes.
She consequently argued that the NDC had no lawful basis to submit his name to INEC as its candidate for the Kawo State Constituency.
“The submission of the name of the 1st Defendant by the 2nd Defendant to the 3rd Defendant as the candidate of the 2nd Defendant is unlawful and illegal because he did not win the primary election of the 2nd Defendant,” Nakorji stated in the court documents.
She further alleged that Salisu “did not acquire the highest lawful votes in the primary election.”
The dispute before the court is therefore centred on the validity of the NDC’s nomination process and whether the party had the authority to replace the alleged winner of its primary with another aspirant.
Nakorji is asking the Federal High Court to declare the alleged substitution wrongful, unconstitutional, null and void.
Among the reliefs being sought is an order setting aside all actions taken by the NDC in nominating and forwarding Salisu’s name to INEC as its candidate for the Kawo State Constituency seat.
She is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the NDC from recognising, dealing with or holding out Salisu as its candidate for the constituency on the grounds that he did not win the May 29 primary election.
The plaintiff’s case also places the role of INEC before the court, particularly regarding the electoral commission’s receipt and recognition of the candidate allegedly submitted by the NDC.
The suit comes weeks after Salisu was publicly presented as the NDC candidate for Kawo Constituency ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reports published in August indicated that Salisu’s name had been officially listed among candidates for the 2027 Kaduna State House of Assembly election.
The development had followed the party’s preparations for its 2026 primary elections across various constituencies and states.
The NDC had previously announced the constitution of electoral committees in Kaduna and other states to oversee its primary elections. The committees were expected to supervise the processes for selecting candidates for various elective positions, including State House of Assembly seats.
The party’s State House of Assembly primary elections in Kaduna were scheduled for May 29, 2026.
The dispute arising from the Kawo Constituency primary therefore raises questions about the process through which the party selected its candidate and the circumstances surrounding the subsequent submission of Salisu’s name to INEC.
At the centre of Nakorji’s case is her assertion that she emerged victorious at the May 29 primary and that the result should have made her the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
Her challenge will require the court to consider the evidence surrounding the conduct and outcome of the primary, the party’s applicable nomination guidelines, the circumstances surrounding the submission of the candidate’s name to INEC and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The NDC and Salisu are yet to have their positions on the allegations determined by the court. Similarly, the filing of the suit does not, by itself, establish that Nakorji won the primary or that Salisu’s nomination was unlawful. Those issues remain matters for judicial determination based on the evidence and applicable law.
The involvement of INEC as a defendant is also significant because the commission is responsible for receiving and publishing candidate nominations submitted by registered political parties for elections.
Under Nigeria’s electoral framework, disputes relating to political party primaries and the nomination of candidates can have significant implications for parties and aspirants, particularly where competing claims arise over who legitimately emerged from a primary election.
For the Kawo State Constituency contest, the outcome of the legal challenge could determine whether Salisu’s candidacy remains intact or whether the NDC would be required to recognise another aspirant, subject to the court’s eventual findings and any applicable appeal process.
The defendants have been given 30 days from the date of service of the originating summons to enter appearance, according to the court documents.
Until the matter is determined, the competing claims remain allegations before the court. Nakorji maintains that she won the NDC primary and was subsequently displaced, while Salisu’s reported presentation as the party’s candidate represents the position that has been publicly advanced by the party.
The Federal High Court in Kaduna will now be called upon to examine the circumstances surrounding the May 29 primary and determine the legal validity of the subsequent nomination and submission of the candidate for the Kawo State Constituency seat.
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