A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the emergence of Major General Nuhu Angbazo (retd.) as the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Nasarawa State.
Justice Garba Umar, who delivered the judgment, ruled that the primary election that produced Angbazo was inconclusive because party members in Karu Local Government Area were excluded from the exercise .
The court ordered the ADC to conduct a fresh governorship primary in all 11 wards of Karu Local Government Area within 14 days before it can validly nominate a candidate .
Justice Umar also restrained Angbazo from parading himself as the party’s governorship candidate and barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising him pending compliance with the court’s directive .
The judgment followed a suit filed by former Minister of Environment, Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi, who challenged the process through which Angbazo emerged as the party’s flagbearer .
Abdullahi participated in the ADC governorship primary alongside Angbazo and Senator Mohammed Onawo, who represents Nasarawa South Senatorial District .
The dispute centred on the conduct of the primary election and the exclusion of results from Karu Local Government Area. The plaintiff argued that the exercise could not be regarded as conclusive without the participation and votes of party members in the affected local government.
In his ruling, Justice Umar agreed that the omission of Karu Local Government Area affected the validity of the primary election, holding that excluding members of the party in the area meant the process had not been completed in line with the requirements of a valid primary .
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the plaintiff, Professor Mubarak Adekilekun, described the decision as a victory for the party.
He explained that the ruling requires the ADC to organise another primary election in Karu Local Government Area rather than proceed with the earlier outcome that excluded the affected area .
The court’s decision does not automatically establish any of the other aspirants as the ADC governorship candidate. Instead, the party has been directed to complete the affected part of the nomination process within the timeframe given by the court .
The ruling represents a setback for Angbazo’s ambition to contest the Nasarawa governorship election under the ADC platform, and introduces another stage of uncertainty into the party’s preparations for the 2027 election .
