The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to stop former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, from contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Justice Mohammed Umar dismissed the suit filed by an aggrieved PRP presidential aspirant, Yakubu Kingsley, after ruling that the case was filed outside the time allowed by law for pre-election matters.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, was filed on June 10, 2026, after the result of the PRP presidential primary held on May 25 was announced on May 26. The court held that the action was statute-barred, NEWSNGR reports.
Justice Umar upheld the preliminary objections filed by Duke and the PRP challenging the competence of the case.
The judge held that the suit was a pre-election matter and should have been filed within the 14-day period provided under Section 285(9) of the Constitution.
Kingsley had argued that the 14-day period should begin from June 6, when the party’s appeal committee communicated its decision on his appeal.
Justice Umar rejected the argument and held that the case was filed outside the constitutional time limit.
The judge consequently declined jurisdiction to hear the matter, having found that the suit was statute-barred.
Justice Umar, however, went ahead to consider the issues raised by Kingsley and also dismissed the case on its merits.
One of the major issues raised by the plaintiff was Duke’s membership of the PRP.
Kingsley had argued that Duke was not a registered member of the party when the PRP submitted its membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on May 4.
But Justice Umar held that membership of a political party is an internal matter of the party and is not justiciable in the circumstances of the case.
The judge also rejected Kingsley’s argument that Duke was not qualified to contest the primary because he allegedly failed to appear physically for screening at the party’s national secretariat.
According to the judge, although Kingsley referred to the PRP’s guidelines which he claimed Duke violated, he failed to produce the guidelines before the court.
Kingsley had also challenged the results of the PRP primary in Bauchi, Gombe and Kwara states over alleged over-voting.
He asked the court to cancel the results from the three states and declare him the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Justice Umar, however, held that Kingsley failed to provide sufficient evidence to establish the allegation of over-voting.
The plaintiff had also asked the court to direct INEC not to recognize Duke as the PRP presidential candidate and instead recognize him as the party’s candidate.
Kingsley had filed the suit against the PRP, Duke and INEC after the May 25 presidential primary.
