The Accord Party has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to strike out a suit seeking the disqualification of its candidates for the 2027 general elections, arguing that the case is incompetent, statute-barred and premature.
The party, through its counsel, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), raised the objections in a preliminary application challenging a suit instituted by its National Secretary, Adebukola Ajaja.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2524/2026, was filed on October 21, 2026, following allegations by Ajaja that the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, and National Organising Secretary, Ibe Kenechukwu ThankGod, usurped her responsibilities by submitting the party’s list of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission without her participation.
Ajaja had asked the court to determine whether the two officials were authorised to jointly sign and forward the party’s nomination documents to INEC, insisting that the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and the commission’s guidelines required the National Chairman and National Secretary to jointly execute the relevant documents.
She specifically challenged three letters dated June 30, July 19 and August 5, 2026, through which the party forwarded 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 signed by Mgbudem and ThankGod.
The plaintiff asked the court to declare the submissions invalid and permanently restrain the defendants from relying on the disputed documents.
However, Accord argued that the suit was filed outside the statutory 14-day window and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter because candidate nomination was an internal affair of the party.
It also questioned Ajaja’s legal standing to institute the action, contending that she was not an aspirant in the party’s primary election held on May 29, 2026.
The party further argued that the suit was defective because the candidates whose nominations were being challenged were not joined as parties, thereby denying them the opportunity to defend their interests.
Accord also described the case as premature, alleging that Ajaja failed to serve the party with the mandatory 21-day pre-action notice.
On the substance of the dispute, the party maintained that its primary election complied with relevant laws and guidelines, adding that INEC recognised the exercise and received its candidates’ list in the prescribed format.
It also defended the decision of the National Chairman and National Organising Secretary to sign and submit the nomination documents, relying on Article 18 of its constitution and Regulations 25(3) and 28(2) of INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
The party argued that the guidelines did not expressly require Ajaja’s signature on the forwarding letter, adding that its National Executive had authorised the two officials to sign the documents.
“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 party stated.
It added, “The National Executives of the party expressly authorised the fourth defendant to co-sign with the 3rd Defendant. No wrong has been done.”
Accord further cited the Supreme Court judgment in Jegede v. INEC, arguing that the National Chairman’s signature alone would have been sufficient to validate the submission.
“The plaintiff’s case is still bound to fail because the signature of the National Chairman suffices on the authority of Jegede v. INEC,” the party contended.
In a counter-affidavit, Mgbudem accused Ajaja of neglecting her duties as National Secretary, disputing her claim that the National Organising Secretary had taken over her responsibilities.
He alleged that Ajaja had stopped attending meetings of the National Working Committee, which comprises the party’s national executive officers under its constitution.
According to him, she was absent from three consecutive meetings of the committee.
Mgbudem also maintained that, as the party’s chief executive, he had the authority to sign documents on its behalf, except where the National Executive Council or Convention decided otherwise.
He cited Article 18(1) of the party’s constitution, which identifies the National Chairman as its chief executive, and Article 18(1)(v), which empowers him to assign specific responsibilities to party members or officers.
“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,” he said.
The chairman further disclosed that the National Working Committee, at a meeting on May 24, 2026, resolved that he and ThankGod should jointly sign the forwarding letter for candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries.
He said INEC recognised the primary election conducted on May 29 by the party’s National Executive under the supervision of the National Working Committee.
Mgbudem added that after the primaries for all contested elective positions, except the presidential ticket, which the party did not contest, the names of successful candidates were electronically forwarded to INEC.
He explained that the electronic submission process did not require the physical signing of every nomination document, considering the large number of political parties and candidates participating in the 2027 elections.
