The Allied Peoples Movement has approached the Federal High Court sitting in Bauchi to challenge the eligibility of Tijjani Aliyu Mohammed, the Peoples Redemption Party’s deputy governorship candidate, to contest the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election.
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The suit, marked FHC/BAU/CS/70/2026, was filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission, Tijjani Aliyu Mohammed and the PRP as first, second and third defendants respectively.
At the centre of the dispute is the APM’s contention that Mohammed’s name was not contained in the membership register submitted by the PRP to INEC before the statutory deadline for political parties to submit their registers of members.
The APM is therefore asking the court to determine whether INEC lawfully published Mohammed’s name as the PRP deputy governorship candidate for the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election.
Speaking to journalists in Bauchi, the party’s legal adviser, Barrister Jidauna Tula, said the action was instituted to obtain the court’s interpretation of the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 in the interest of justice and fairness.
According to him, the suit seeks the enforcement and interpretation of Sections 77(4), 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act 2026, alongside Sections 177(c) and 187(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.
Tula said the action became necessary following INEC’s publication of Mohammed’s name on October 10, 2026, as the PRP’s running mate and deputy governorship candidate for the Bauchi election.
One of the questions placed before the court is whether INEC’s publication of Mohammed’s name was lawful, having regard to the combined provisions of Sections 77(4), 77(5) and 77(6) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The APM is also asking the court to determine whether Mohammed could validly emerge as the PRP deputy governorship candidate when, according to the party, his name was not contained in the membership register submitted by the PRP to INEC.
Tula said the party specifically asked the court to determine “whether having regards to Section 77(5) of the Electoral Act 2026, the name of Tijjani Aliyu was lawfully published by INEC on the 10th day of October 2026 as the running mate/Deputy Governorship candidate of the PRP in the 2027 Bauchi State Governorship election, when the Tijjani Aliyu Mohammed’s name was not present on the 3rd Defendant’s register of members submitted by the PRP to INEC”.
The APM further alleged that Mohammed remained a member of the All Progressives Congress as of May 10, 2026, when the PRP submitted its membership register to INEC.
The party consequently wants the court to determine whether INEC could lawfully publish his name as the PRP deputy governorship candidate in circumstances where, according to the plaintiff, he was still an APC member when the PRP submitted its membership register.
Tula said another question before the court is “whether INEC lawfully published the name of Tijjani Aliyu on the 10th day of October 2026 as the running mate/Deputy Governorship candidate of the PRP in the 2027 Bauchi State Governorship election given the 2nd Defendant’s continued membership of the All Progressives Congress as at the 10th day of May 2026 when PRP submitted its register of members to INEC”.
The party is also questioning the timing of the PRP’s primary election in relation to the submission of its membership register.
According to the APM, the PRP submitted its register of members to INEC on May 10, 2026, before conducting its primary election on May 25, 2026.
The plaintiff is consequently asking the court to determine whether the PRP complied with Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026 and whether INEC could lawfully recognise Mohammed as the party’s deputy governorship candidate in the circumstances.
The latest suit is the second legal challenge brought by the APM against the PRP governorship ticket in Bauchi within days.
The APM had earlier instituted another action challenging the eligibility of the PRP governorship candidate, Senator Shehu Buba Umar, to participate in the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election.
Buba’s legal team has, however, maintained that his nomination and candidacy are lawful.
The two cases have now placed both members of the PRP governorship ticket under legal challenge ahead of the 2027 election.
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