Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The eligibility suit filed against the Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Benue state, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN by the proxy candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, Mr. Damian Adagba Agbo has suffered a major setback as the Supreme Court yesterday upheld an appeal filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that anyone who was not a member of a political party as of May 10, 2026 cannot contest any elective office in the 2027 general elections.
Recall that the Electoral Act 2026 stipulates{S.77(5)} that Political parties must submit list of their Candidates not later than 21 days to the date of Primaries and INEC Fixed Primaries for Political parties from May 1 to May 30th.
“According to INEC, only those in that Register could participate in that Primary, and Damian Adaagba was not a member of our party, APM as at then. His name wasn’t in the register submitted to INEC on May 10, and he didn’t participate in the primaries which the electoral body fixed for between May 1 and May 30, 2026. So how come he is claiming to be a candidate of the APM. Has he forgotten that the Electoral Act says that anybody whose name is not in the register submitted by the Party in May 2026 , cannot be a candidate of that party” Comrade John Ochoga, a member of the APM in Benue South said while speaking with one of our reporters on the development.
It would be recalled that the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the appeal by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, against a Court of Appeal judgment that voided parts of the Electoral Act 2026 on political party primaries and membership registers.
A seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision, which had favored the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, and upheld the judgment of the trial court.
In simple terms, what this judgment means is that those who joined political parties after the May 10th deadline and picked party tickets may not be able to participate in the 2027 elections as candidates.
Recall that Adaagba, a Social Media aide to the governor of Benue State, Reverend Father Hyacinth joined the Benue State chapter of the Allied People’s Movement on September 11, 2026, bought his governorship Nomination Forms on the same which he also sued Chief Aondoakaa with an aim to challenge his eligibility to contest the next governorship election.
According to findings, Governor Hyacinth Alia, suspecting that he would lose the election to Aondoakaa as a result of his massive failures since he assumed duties in 2023, contacted Governorship candidates of some political parties in Benue to help him challenge Aondoakaa’s eligibility in court but, they all refused, having understood the position of the law on the case he asked them to take to court.
Alia was unable to get a platform to sue Aondoakaa until September 11 that he ran to the Presidential candidate of the APM who is the outgoing governor of Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde and told him to assist him to secure the party’s Governorship ticket to Adagba, his Social Media aide who in 2024 contested the Vandekya local government chairmanship primaries under the APC but lost.
The nomination forms was given to Adagba at the National Secretariat of the APM in Abuja after Governor Hyacinth Alia had paid the necessary bills and party dues on behalf of his proxy candidate.
Things to know about Adagba: As a social media aide to Governor Hyacinth Alia, he contested for the Vandekya local government chairmanship in 2024 but lost the primary election.