Accord asks court to dismiss suit seeking candidates’ disqualification

The Accord Party has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit seeking the disqualification of all its candidates for the 2027 general elections, describing the action as incompetent, statute-barred and premature.

The party, in a preliminary objection filed through its counsel, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), challenged the competence of the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2524/2026, instituted by its National Secretary, Adebukola Ajaja.

The suit, filed on October 21, 2026, followed allegations by Ajaja that her responsibilities as the party’s National Secretary were usurped by the National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, and the National Organising Secretary, Ibe Kenechukwu ThankGod, in the submission of the party’s candidates’ list to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Ajaja had approached the court to challenge the authority of the two officials to jointly sign and submit the party’s candidates’ nomination documents without her participation.

She argued that the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act, 2026, and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties required the National Chairman and National Secretary to jointly sign and submit the relevant documents.

The plaintiff specifically challenged three letters dated June 30, July 19 and August 5, 2026, forwarding the party’s candidates’ EC9 forms to INEC.

She also sought the nullification of Forms EC9(A), EC9(B), EC9(C), EC9(D) and EC9(E), which were jointly signed by Mgbudem and Kenechukwu.

Ajaja consequently urged the court to declare the submissions invalid and issue an order of perpetual injunction setting aside the documents.

INEC, the Accord Party, Mgbudem and Kenechukwu were listed as the first to fourth defendants in the suit.

However, in challenging the action, Accord argued that the suit was filed outside the 14-day period allowed by law and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it because the issues raised concerned the nomination of candidates, which it described as an internal affair of the party.

The party also challenged Ajaja’s locus standi to institute the action, arguing that she was not an aspirant in the party’s primary election conducted on May 29, 2026.

It further contended that the suit was defective for non-joinder of necessary parties, noting that the candidates whose nominations the plaintiff sought to nullify were not joined in the proceedings.

According to the party, the affected candidates would be denied the opportunity to defend their nominations if the suit proceeded without them being made parties.

It also argued that the action was premature because Ajaja allegedly failed to serve the party with the mandatory 21-day pre-action notice.

On the substance of the dispute, Accord maintained that its primary election was conducted in compliance with relevant laws and guidelines, adding that INEC had recognised the exercise and received the list of its candidates in the prescribed format.

The party also defended the authority of its National Chairman and National Organising Secretary to sign and submit its candidates’ lists and nomination documents to INEC in the absence of the National Secretary.

It relied on Article 18 of its constitution and Regulations 25(3) and 28(2) of INEC’s Guidelines for Political Parties to support its position.

Accord stated, “INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties did not in any way specify that the plaintiff herein must sign the forwarding letter, neither did the Constitution of the second defendant require her (the plaintiff) to sign.

“The National Executives of the party expressly authorised the fourth defendant to co-sign with the 3rd Defendant. No wrong has been done.”

Citing the Supreme Court’s decision in Jegede v. INEC, the party argued that even if its National Chairman had signed the forwarding letter alone, the plaintiff’s case would still fail.

It stated that “the plaintiff’s case is still bound to fail because the signature of the National Chairman suffices on the authority of Jegede v. INEC.”

In a counter-affidavit, the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, accused Ajaja of abandoning her responsibilities, contrary to her allegation that the National Organising Secretary had usurped her functions.

Mgbudem claimed that the National Secretary had stopped attending meetings of the National Working Committee, which, according to him, comprised the party’s national executive officers under its constitution.

He said she had failed to attend three consecutive meetings of the committee.

The chairman also questioned Ajaja’s handling of the party’s finances and accused her of making inaccurate claims about the number of pending court cases arising from the primary election, insisting that no fewer than 16 suits had been filed.

Mgbudem stated, “The plaintiff is the National Secretary, but she had stopped attending the meetings of the National Working Committee, which under our party’s constitution comprises the National Executive Officers.

“She did not attend the past three consecutive National Working Committee meetings.

“As the Chief Executive of the second defendant, I can sign any document on behalf of the party, except where either the National Executive Council or the Convention sees the need for the contrary.

“By virtue of Article 18(1) of the Accord Constitution, I am the Chief Executive of Accord, and by virtue of 18(1)(v) I have the power to ‘assign specific functions to any member or officer of the party.’”

He further disclosed that the National Working Committee, at a meeting held on May 24, 2026, resolved that he and the National Organising Secretary, Ibe Kenechukwu ThankGod, should jointly sign the forwarding letter for candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries.

According to him, INEC recognised the primary election conducted on May 29, 2026, by the party’s National Executive under the supervision of the National Working Committee.

Mgbudem said that after the completion of the primaries for all contested elective positions, except the presidential election, which the party did not conduct, he and the National Organising Secretary electronically forwarded the names of the successful candidates to INEC.

He explained that the electronic submission of nomination forms did not require the physical signing of every document, given the large number of political parties and candidates participating in the 2027 general elections.