A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a pre-election suit filed by former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, challenging the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik struck out the suit on Friday after Amaechi’s lead counsel, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), informed the court that the parties had resolved their dispute and filed an application to discontinue the case.
Okutepa urged the court to strike out the matter following the settlement, a request the judge granted without objection.
Amaechi had asked the court to nullify the ADC presidential primary held on May 25, 2026, which produced Atiku as the party’s flag bearer for the 2027 presidential election.
The former governor argued that the exercise violated Sections 77(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, 2026, the ADC Constitution, and the party’s guidelines for conducting its primary elections.
He had sought an order preventing Atiku from presenting himself as the ADC presidential candidate and also asked the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the former vice president as the party’s nominee.
Amaechi further prayed the court to compel the ADC to conduct a fresh presidential primary within 14 days in compliance with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1215/2026, listed Atiku, the ADC and INEC as the first, second and third defendants respectively.
In his supporting affidavit, Amaechi stated that he was a registered member of the ADC in Ward 8, Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, and that he lawfully contested the party’s presidential primary after purchasing and being cleared with the party’s nomination form.
He claimed the results released by the party on May 27 showed Atiku polling 1,846,370 votes, while he secured 504,177 votes and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen received 177,120 votes.
Amaechi alleged that the entire primary election was conducted in breach of the Electoral Act and the ADC’s internal rules.
He argued that the party failed to use its statutory membership register for voter accreditation as required by law, relying instead on provisions in its internal guidelines.
The former minister also alleged that the result sheet announcing the outcome of the primary was unsigned, undated and did not contain the names or signatures of members of the election committee or his agents.
According to him, the ADC’s National Organising Secretary confirmed in a response to his request that no membership register was used during the primary election.
Amaechi said he petitioned the party’s presidential appeal committee over the alleged irregularities but received no decision before approaching the court.
However, with the parties now settling, the Federal High Court formally struck out the case, bringing the legal challenge against Atiku’s nomination to an end.
(The Whistler)
