New: PRP Aspirant Sues Donald Duke Over 2027 Presidential Ticket

A presidential hopeful under the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Yakubu Kingsley, has initiated legal proceedings against former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, challenging his emergence as the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 general elections.

Kingsley, through his legal counsel D.A. Sulyman, filed the suit, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, naming the PRP, Donald Duke, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the first, second, and third defendants, respectively. The disgruntled aspirant is seeking a court order to invalidate Duke’s selection as the PRP’s presidential candidate, asserting that the former governor was not a registered member of the party by the legally stipulated time and party regulations.

In the originating summons dated June 10, Kingsley has asked the court to determine the legitimacy of Duke’s declaration as the PRP presidential candidate following the May 25 primary election, with results announced on May 26. Kingsley alleges that Duke was not a registered member of the party as of May 4, the date the PRP’s membership register was submitted to INEC. He further questioned the integrity of votes recorded in certain states during the primary, citing alleged instances of over-voting.

The plaintiff specifically requested the court to consider whether reported over-voting in states like Bauchi (where 593 registered members allegedly produced 760 votes), Gombe (348 registered members with 1,431 votes cast), and Kwara (55 registered members with 82 votes cast) should lead to the nullification of the primary election results.

Kingsley is pursuing a declaration that Duke was ineligible to participate in the presidential primary due to his alleged unregistered status at the crucial time. He also implored the court to declare that Duke should not have been cleared for the primary election, claiming the former governor failed to adhere to the party’s screening guidelines by not physically appearing at the national secretariat for the exercise.

The aspirant additionally seeks to invalidate the primary election results from Bauchi, Gombe, and Kwara states on the basis of the alleged over-voting. Furthermore, he urged the court to declare him the legitimate presidential candidate of the PRP, arguing that he fulfilled all party requirements and maintained a valid membership. Kingsley also requested an order instructing INEC to refrain from recognizing Duke as the PRP presidential candidate and to remove his name from the commission’s records. He further prayed for an order compelling the electoral body to acknowledge him as the party’s rightful flagbearer.

In a sworn affidavit supporting his suit, Kingsley affirmed his status as a registered PRP member with card number 2A8D8B20B2, originating from Auchi III Ward in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State. He informed the court that he procured the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms for the presidential election, paying a total of N20 million. According to Kingsley, he satisfied all nomination criteria and secured the necessary endorsements from party members.

He stated, “That I physically attended the presidential screening exercise conducted by the party between 15th and 19th May, 2026, at the national secretariat of the 1st defendant in Abuja as stipulated in the aspirants’ checklist for screening.” Kingsley confirmed he was properly screened and cleared to contest the May 25 presidential primary. He added, “To my utmost surprise, the name of the 2nd defendant (Duke) appeared as an aspirant despite the fact that he did not physically participate in the screening exercise together with other aspirants at the national secretariat of the 1st defendant.”

He further alleged that Duke’s participation violated INEC regulations, which mandate political parties to submit the names of registered members at least 21 days prior to conducting primary elections. The plaintiff challenged INEC to provide the party’s membership register submitted on May 4 to ascertain Duke’s membership status at that time. Kingsley also claimed that numerous objections regarding Duke’s eligibility were raised by party members before the primary election, and accused the party of conducting a primary marred by irregularities and manipulation, with votes in some states exceeding the number of registered members in the party’s database.

He asserted, “That I verily believe that the purported result declared in favour of the 2nd defendant does not represent the lawful votes cast by eligible members of the party. That, when unlawful and inflated votes are excluded, I emerge as the aspirant who secured the highest lawful votes in the presidential primary election.”

The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled June 22 for the hearing of the suit. Justice Mohammed Umar set the date after ensuring hearing notices were served to all parties involved. The PRP had, on May 23, screened and cleared three aspirants for its presidential primary: Donald Duke, economist Dr. Nnaoke Ufere, and Kingsley, who previously contested as the African Action Congress presidential candidate in the 2023 election. The party then held its primary on May 25, declaring Duke the winner on May 26. The court proceedings are expected to commence on Monday.