The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has recognised Abubakar Bashir as the winner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) primary election for the Yola North/Yola South/Girei Federal Constituency of Adamawa State.
The court also ordered the nullification of the incumbent lawmaker Abubakar Babazango’s nomination as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The court, presided over by Justice Chigozie S. Onah, also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Engr. Abubakar Bashir as the winner of the ADC primary election conducted for the constituency on May 21, 2026.
This development was contained in court documents cited by LEADERSHIP Newspaper on Tuesday.
Justice Onah delivered the judgment on Thursday, September 17, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1166/2026 filed by Bashir against the ADC, INEC and Babazango.
The judgment followed a dispute over the outcome of the ADC primary and the subsequent nomination of Babazango as the party’s candidate.
Recall that the ADC had conducted direct primaries nationwide in May to select its candidates for the presidency, Senate, House of Representatives, governorship and state Houses of Assembly ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the official results of the Yola North/Yola South/Girei Federal Constituency primary, Bashir polled 33,931 votes to defeat six other aspirants.
Zayyad Tumba scored 16,266 votes, Yusuf Garba secured 14,611, Abubakar Mohammed polled 10,035, Abubakar Gabdo obtained 8,022, Abdulaziz Abubakar scored 4,501, while Babazango garnered 4,359 votes.
Babazango, who had recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the ADC, is the incumbent member representing the constituency in the House of Representatives.
Following the primary, Bashir alleged that there was an attempt to alter the outcome of the election and replace his name with that of Babazango.
In a statement issued on behalf of Bashir’s campaign council, Mohammed Daud expressed concern over a purported list circulating online which allegedly indicated that Babazango, who recorded the lowest number of votes among the seven aspirants, had been submitted to the ADC national headquarters as the winner.
“It has come to our shock and dismay that a purported list currently circulating online suggests that another aspirant, who scored the lowest number of votes during the primary election, was submitted to the national headquarters as the winner,” the statement read.
Daud described the alleged development as an attempt to overturn the outcome of the primary, warning that any tampering with the results could undermine confidence in the party’s internal democratic process.
The ADC, however, dismissed the allegation and denied claims of any plot to alter the results of the constituency’s primary election.
Bashir subsequently approached the Federal High Court, challenging the validity of Babazango’s nomination and asking the court to determine whether the primary election was conducted in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act, the ADC Constitution and the party’s guidelines.
He also challenged the substitution of his name with that of Babazango, arguing that a candidate declared winner of a primary could not validly be replaced by an aspirant who did not emerge from the election.
In its judgment, the court found in favour of Bashir and answered the six questions formulated in his originating summons in his favour.
Justice Onah held that the process leading to the acceptance and publication of Babazango’s name as the winner of the primary was inconsistent with the ADC Constitution and its guidelines.
The court specifically relied on Section 12 of the ADC Guidelines for the Conduct of Primary Elections, which, according to the judgment, permits substitution of a declared winner only in the event of the winner’s death or withdrawal.
The court held that neither event had been established in the case.
The judgment stated, “It follows, as a necessary consequence, that the acceptance and publication of the name of the 3rd Defendant as the winner of the said primary election, having been founded upon a process which this Court has found to be inconsistent with the Constitution and the Guidelines of the 1st Defendant, cannot be sustained.”
The court consequently nullified and set aside the publication and nomination of Babazango as the winner of the primary and ADC candidate for the House of Representatives seat.
It also restrained INEC from recognising Babazango as the winner of the primary or as the ADC candidate for the constituency in the 2027 general elections.
In addition, the court restrained Babazango from holding himself out or parading himself as the ADC candidate for the constituency.
The court ordered INEC to recognise Bashir as the winner of the ADC primary and candidate of the party for the House of Representatives seat representing Yola North/Yola South/Girei Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections.
It similarly ordered the ADC to recognise Bashir as the party’s duly elected candidate.
Justice Onah declared that, by virtue of Sections 88(2) and 84(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, as well as the ADC guidelines, the party was under a legal obligation to conduct its nomination process in accordance with the applicable legal framework.
The court further declared that the ADC could not validly nominate or declare any person other than Bashir as the winner of the primary and its candidate for the constituency.
Bashir had also sought N25m as litigation costs.
The court, however, declined the claim, holding that it could not award the amount claimed as solicitors’ fees.
Instead, the court awarded N1m in costs against the ADC and Babazango, respectively.
COURTESY: Leadership
