Court Rejects Challenge to Donald Duke’s Presidential Candidacy

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to invalidate Donald Duke’s nomination as the presidential candidate for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). The ruling was made on Wednesday by Justice Mohammed Umar.

The case was brought by Yakubu Kingsley, a fellow PRP presidential aspirant, who claimed that Duke was not eligible to run. However, the court found that Kingsley filed his lawsuit too late, violating a constitutional deadline for such challenges.

Justice Umar stated that Kingsley submitted his case 16 days after the PRP announced the results of its primary election on May 25. The judge noted that the law requires such cases to be filed within 14 days of the election results. As a result, the court did not have the authority to hear the case.

In addition to dismissing the case based on timing, the judge also ruled against Kingsley on the merits of the case. Kingsley argued that Duke was not a registered member of the PRP when the party submitted its membership list to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on May 4. However, the judge stated that membership issues are internal matters for political parties and not for the court to decide.

Furthermore, the court rejected Kingsley’s claims that Duke violated party guidelines and that there was over-voting in the primary elections in various states. The judge pointed out that Kingsley failed to provide evidence to support his claims.

As a result of the ruling, Donald Duke remains the PRP’s presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 elections.