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The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and its governorship candidate in Rivers State, Hon. Kieghe Nature Dumale, has approached the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, seeking the disqualification of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the February 6, 2027 governorship election.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the APC ineligible to field a candidate in the election over alleged non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, relating to the submission of party membership registers.
In the suit marked FHC/PH/CS/193/2026, they are also seeking an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the APC and its governorship candidate from the list of political parties eligible to participate in the election.
INEC is listed as the first defendant, while the APC is the second defendant.
In an 18-paragraph affidavit personally deposed to by Dumale, the plaintiffs relied on the September 24, 2026 judgment of the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026 between INEC and the Zenith Labour Party.
They argued that the judgment affirmed the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to comply with prescribed membership register requirements.
The plaintiffs alleged that although INEC subsequently announced its intention to enforce the Supreme Court judgment, it failed to apply the same standard to the APC before publishing the final list of candidates for the Rivers governorship election.
According to the affidavit, the APC had, in a letter dated April 20, 2026, informed INEC that its primaries for the 2027 general elections would commence on May 15 and subsequently submitted its membership register to the commission.
Dumale, however, alleged that the name of the APC governorship candidate, Chinda Kingsley Ogundu, was absent from the party's membership register submitted to INEC before the commencement of its primaries.
He further claimed that the register indicated that the last person registered in Ward 3B of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area was Ibrahim Haruna, who reportedly registered on February 8, 2026.
The affidavit alleged that Ogundu subsequently registered with the APC on April 27, 2026, after the party had submitted its membership register to INEC.
The plaintiffs also alleged that Ogundu was listed as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the membership register submitted by the party to INEC, raising questions about the validity of his APC nomination.
They maintained that INEC ought to have applied the same standard used in excluding other political parties found not to have complied with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
Consequently, through their legal team led by Dr. Doueyi Fiderikumo, the plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the APC is ineligible to field a candidate in the Rivers governorship election and an order compelling INEC to remove the party and its candidate from the list of eligible contestants.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
