By Jelili Gbadamosi
A fresh legal battle has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kebbi State over the party’s candidate for the Zuru/Fakai/Danko Wasagu/Sakaba Federal Constituency.
Abubakar Sadiq Sa’adu Fakai, who claims to have emerged from an earlier ADC primary, has dragged the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged attempt to replace his name with that of Bashar Sulaiman Bajida.
Fakai is challenging the legality of the fresh primary conducted by the party on August 18, 2026, arguing that he had not formally withdrawn his candidacy before the purported substitution.
The suit, filed on August 14, was mentioned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.
Fakai’s counsel, Ezra Enwere of Savannah Law LP, told the court that the plaintiff had filed interim and interlocutory applications seeking to restrain the ADC and INEC from recognising Bajida as the candidate for the constituency.
The court, however, declined to entertain the applications at that stage and instead adjourned the substantive matter for hearing.
It consequently ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit and fixed September 8, 2026, for further hearing.
The order effectively preserves the existing position before the disputed August 18 primary, including the continued retention of Fakai’s name on the INEC portal pending the outcome of the case.
Fakai had maintained that following his emergence from the earlier primary, his name was submitted to INEC as the ADC candidate for the constituency.
He alleged that the party subsequently sought to conduct another primary to replace him with Bajida, despite his claim that he never formally withdrew from the race.
The court case comes at a time the ADC is expanding its political activities in Kebbi State, with the party recently inaugurating a campaign council comprising over 600 members.
Following the court’s directive, Fakai called on his supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding while expressing confidence that the judiciary would resolve the dispute based on the law.
