By Segun Adewale in Bauchi
Bauchi State chapter of the Allied Peoples Movement, (APM),has filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Bauchi challenging the eligibility of Senator Shehu Buba Umar, as the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), for the 2027 general elections.
The case was filed at the court yesterday, seeking the court to investigate the qualification of the PRP candidate in line with the Electoral Act as amended as well as other relevant guidelines for the conduct of the 2026 party primaries leading to the 2027 general elections.
According to the suit filed by the APM, Senator Shehu Buba Umar had earlier contested Primary Election under the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), but could not make it.
The APM claimed that having failed to meet the requirements for the process according to the APC, he left the party, but later, he emerged as a candidate under the PRP and his name was published by INEC.
The party’s Legal Adviser, Barrister Jidauna Tula, said the suit filed at the Federal High Court is seeking enforcement of Sections 77(4), 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
He said PRP submitted its membership register on or before May 10, 2026 as required by law and conducted its governorship primary on May 25, 2026 where Buba emerged as candidate.
According to APM, however, Senator Buba’s name was absent from the PRP register submitted to INEC within the statutory period because he was still a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as at May 19, 2026.
“The question is whether the 2nd Defendant’s continued membership of the All Progressives Congress as at the date the 3rd Defendant submitted its membership register to the 1st Defendant, and the absence of his name from that register, are material to determining whether he was lawfully entitled to participate in the 3rd Defendant’s governorship primary election,” the originating summons stated.
Counsel to APM, Barrister Benjamin Sati, said by virtue of Sections 77(4) and (5), eligibility to vote or be voted for at the primary is governed by the membership register submitted to INEC not later than 21 days before the date fixed for primaries.
“By virtue of Section 77(6) of the Electoral Act, PRP cannot rely on any other membership register to establish Shehu Buba’s eligibility to participate in its governorship primary election, where the register submitted to INEC within the statutory period doesn’t contain his name,” he argued.
APM said Senator Buba had earlier contested primary election under APC but later emerged as candidate under PRP, and his name was published by INEC on October 10, 2026 on the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.
The party is therefore asking the court to declare that his participation and emergence as PRP flagbearer contravened Sections 77(4), (5), (6) and (7) of the Electoral Act and that his nomination is unlawful, null and void and of no legal effect.
It asked the court to direct INEC to remove the name of Shehu Buba from its final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election in Bauchi State.
All efforts to get reactions from the PRP and the candidate proved abortive as the relevant officials contacted including the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Senator, Comrade Sabo Muhammad, did not respond.
