The Accord Party has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit seeking the disqualification of all its candidates for the 2027 general elections, arguing that its primaries and submission of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission complied with applicable laws, party rules and electoral guidelines.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2524/2026, was filed by the party’s National Secretary, Adebukola Ajaja, who is challenging the validity of the nomination documents submitted to INEC by Accord’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, and National Organising Secretary, ThankGod Kenechukwu.
Ajaja contends that her responsibilities as National Secretary were usurped when the Chairman and National Organising Secretary jointly signed and submitted the party’s candidates’ documents to INEC without her participation.
She is asking the court to nullify the submissions and consequently disqualify the party’s candidates for the 2027 elections.
Accord, however, has filed a preliminary objection through its counsel, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, challenging the competence of the suit and the jurisdiction of the court to entertain it.
The party argued that the action was filed outside the constitutionally prescribed 14-day period for pre-election matters and was therefore statute-barred.
It further maintained that the dispute concerns the nomination of candidates, which it described as an internal affair of a political party.
Accord also challenged Ajaja’s locus standi to institute the action, arguing that she was not an aspirant in the party’s May 29, 2026 primary election.
The party further contended that the suit was defective because the candidates whose nominations Ajaja seeks to nullify were not joined as parties, thereby denying them an opportunity to be heard before any decision affecting their candidacies is made.
Accord additionally argued that the action was premature because Ajaja allegedly failed to give the party the required 21-day pre-action notice.
On the substantive dispute, the party insisted that its primaries were conducted in accordance with relevant laws and guidelines and that INEC had recognised the outcome and accepted the candidates submitted by the party.
Accord maintained that its National Chairman and National Organising Secretary were authorised to sign and submit the candidates’ documents where the National Secretary was unavailable.
It relied on Article 18 of the Accord Party Constitution as well as Regulations 25(3) and 28(2) of INEC’s Guidelines for Political Parties.
The party argued that neither INEC’s guidelines nor its constitution made Ajaja’s signature indispensable to the validity of the candidates’ submissions.
“The National Executives of the party expressly authorised the fourth defendant to co-sign with the 3rd Defendant. No wrong has been done,” the party stated.
Accord also relied on the Supreme Court’s decision in Jegede v. INEC, arguing that even if the National Chairman had signed alone, his signature would have been sufficient for the submission.
In a counter-affidavit, Mgbudem disputed Ajaja’s claim that her responsibilities were unlawfully taken over by the National Organising Secretary.
He alleged instead that the National Secretary had stopped attending meetings of the National Working Committee, including three consecutive meetings.
Mgbudem said that at a meeting held on May 24, 2026, the National Working Committee resolved that he and the National Organising Secretary should jointly sign the forwarding letters for candidates who emerged successful from the party’s primaries.
According to him, after the primaries were concluded, the names of successful candidates for all elective positions contested by Accord, except the presidency, were electronically forwarded to INEC.
“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,” Mgbudem stated.
He further maintained that Article 18 of the party’s constitution empowered him to assign specific functions to officers of the party.
Mgbudem said the electronic submission of INEC forms did not require physical signatures on every form, citing the large number of political parties and candidates participating in the 2027 elections.
Ajaja had filed the suit on October 21, 2026, asking the court to determine whether the National Chairman and National Organising Secretary could lawfully sign and submit the party’s candidates’ documents without her participation.
She is relying on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, the Accord Party Constitution and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
Among other reliefs, she wants the court to declare the disputed letters and EC9 series forms signed by Mgbudem and Kenechukwu invalid and set them aside.
The court will now be required to first determine Accord’s preliminary objections, including questions of jurisdiction, limitation, locus standi, necessary parties and pre-action notice, before proceeding to the substantive dispute if the suit survives those objections.
Post Title: ”National Chairman’s Signature Is Sufficient” — Accord Party Asks Court To Dismiss Suit Seeking Disqualification Of 2027 Candidates By Naijaonpoint.