Court orders INEC to recognize names of ADC Candidates forwarded by David Mark for FCT February Poll

The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize and publish names of candidates forwarded to it by the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, for the February 21, Area Councils election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Delivering judgment this Tuesday 20/1/26, in a suit filed by 17 candidates of the ADC, challenging the refusal of INEC to give them electronic access to enable them contest for elective positions in the forthcoming Area Councils election, Justice Umar held that the evidence provided by the plaintiffs was credible enough for him to attach a “more probate value.”

The judgment in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1907/25, further pointed out that the plaintiffs also proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt to earn the reliefs sought in their originating summons.

The Court therefore, issued an order directing INEC to recognize and publish the names of the plaintiffs as candidates of the ADC for the various positions the plaintiffs contested for in the substitution primary election of the ADC preparatory to the 2026 FCT Area Council elections.

Justice Umar also directed INEC to give the ADC electronic access to upload the names of the plaintiffs as her candidates for the various positions the plaintiffs contested for in the substitution primary election of the ADC preparatory to the 2026 FCT Area Council elections by virtue of Sections 29(1), 31, 33 and 84(1)(5)(6) of the 2022 Electoral Act and the Election Guidelines of INEC.

The names ordered to be uploaded in INEC’s portal as candidates in the February 21 Area Council elections include: Jafaru Shaibu, Ayenajeyi Yakubu, Dauda Awode, Ezra Zaki, Sunday Abraham, Ayuba Adam, Jamilu Kabiru, Nuhu Madaki, Ibrahim Ali you and Ogwuche Linus.

Others are; Chibuike Anyika, Okechukwu Ironkwe, Godwin Adoga, Agada John, Onuoha Goodness, Mahrazu Bichi and Tobias Obechina.

These plaintiffs had dragged the electoral umpire to court for denying the ADC access to upload their names as ADC candidates in the forthcoming elections.

Recall, a 27-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one of the plaintiffs, Onuoha Goodness, claimed that the 1st to 16th plaintiffs participated in the primary election of the ADC after the withdrawal of candidates who participated in the main primary election of the ADC, whose names were uploaded on the portal of the ADC before the close of submission on August 11, 2025.

According to her, after their emergence, ADC “made efforts to upload to our INEC Forms EC9 and EC13 categories to the portal but could not get access to do so”.

The plaintiffs claimed that they later wrote a letter to INEC to give ADC access to upload their names as candidates in the February 21 election but that INEC refused to receive the letter from their lawyer, Kalu Agu.