Jigawa ADC crisis deepens as Rep candidate challenges replacement with Aregbesola’s aide

The criminal combat over the African Democratic Congress (ADC) number one election for the Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency in Jigawa State has taken a dramatic flip prior to the Federal Top Court docket as a birthday party professional, Mansur Kanya, wrote to the courtroom denying any involvement within the disputed workout.

The disaster started after Baffa Suleiman deposed to a testimony beneath oath claiming he—and now not Zakari Alhaji-Sidi—gained the principle election performed on 25 Would possibly 2025.

Mr Suleiman claimed that Mr Kanya acted because the collation officer who declared him the winner, an statement Mr Kanya has refuted.

In a dramatic twist, Mr Kanya submitted a testimony of info at once countering Mr Suleiman’s claims, pointing out that he was once in Kaduna State on a countrywide birthday party project when the Jigawa primaries happened and may just now not have collated the consequences, let by myself declared Mr Suleiman the winner.

The plaintiff, Mr Alhaji-Sidi—popularly referred to as Zakari Kafin-Hausa—gained the birthday party’s number one election in Would possibly, however was once therefore changed with Mr Suleiman, an aide to ADC Nationwide Secretary Rauf Aregbesola.

In Go well with No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1655/2026, Mr Sidi is looking for the translation and enforcement of Segment 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.

He named the ADC as the first Defendant, the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) because the second Defendant, and Mr Suleiman because the third Defendant.

The most recent courtroom submitting, ready by way of Mr Sidi’s criminal workforce led by way of Suleh Umar (SAN), was once a respond to the counter-affidavits submitted by way of the first and third defendants on 10 and 16 August.

Mr Sidi maintains that Qualified True Copies (CTCs) of the ward and native executive collation effects, monitored and issued by way of INEC, showed his victory.

Conversely, he argues that Mr Suleiman is based solely on a unmarried file, Show off “BSS1,” which lacks foundational collation effects from the constituency’s 3 native executive spaces, describing it as fabricated.

The submitting contends that as custodians of the principle election information, the ADC did not delicate ward and native executive outcome sheets to rebut the INEC-certified paperwork.

Invoking Segment 167(d) of the Proof Act 2011, Mr Sidi recommended the courtroom to presume that the defendants withheld those paperwork since the proof could be damaging to their case.

To problem the validity of Show off “BSS1,” Mr Sidi offered Show off “AM2”—an professional posting letter proving that Mr Kanya was once assigned by way of the ADC to serve at the Kaduna State Enchantment Committee on the time of the Jigawa primaries.

Mr Sidi additionally pointed to a congratulatory message despatched to him by way of Mr Kanya, who wrote to the courtroom to transparent his title and toughen Mr Sidi’s place.

Addressing the ADC’s declare referring to discrepancies in his title, Mr Sidi clarified that ward officers recorded his victory the usage of his widely recognized moniker, “Zakari Kafin-Hausa,” as an alternative of his formal title, Zakari Alhaji-Sidi, which he used when buying nomination paperwork.

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Mr Sidi finished an Affidavit of Reconciliation of Names (Show off “1”), arguing that the birthday party can not exploit an administrative error made by way of its personal officers to disclaim him the nomination.

Mentioning Very best Court docket and Court docket of Enchantment precedents—together with Amaechi v. INEC and Buhari v. PDP—Mr Sidi recommended the courtroom to present decisive weight to the unbiased statutory record generated by way of INEC because the impartial tracking authority beneath Segment 84(1) of the Electoral Act.

Mr Sidi is praying the courtroom to discountenance the arguments of the first and third Defendants, uphold the INEC-certified number one election tracking effects, and claim him the authentic ADC candidate for the Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency.

The subject has been adjourned to 22 October for listening to and the adoption of ultimate written addresses.