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| The Federal High Court Complex in Abuja, photographed in October 2018. Ovinuchi Prince Ejiohuo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. |
Accord has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its candidates’ participation in the 2027 general elections, disputing its national secretary’s right to bring the action and the court’s authority to determine it.
The disagreement centres on who could sign and submit the party’s nomination documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). National secretary Adebukola Ajaja alleges that the national chairman and national organising secretary took over responsibilities that belonged to her.
As the party contests the suit, its House of Representatives candidate for Ahiazu Mbaise/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency in Imo State, Dr Nnamdi John Ejekwumadu, says its candidates are continuing their campaigns. INEC’s final candidate list identifies Ejekwumadu as Accord’s nominee for the seat.
Speaking on Arise News’ Daybreak, Ejekwumadu defended the leadership’s handling of the nomination process and outlined an industrial development proposal that he said could generate up to 5,000 jobs in his constituency.
Ajaja’s court action, filed on 21 October, challenges the involvement of national chairman Maxwell Mgbudem and national organising secretary Ibe Kenechukwu ThankGod in forwarding candidates’ documents without her participation.
According to The Punch’s account of the filings, she argues that the party’s constitution and applicable electoral rules require the national chairman and national secretary to sign the relevant submissions jointly.
She contests three forwarding letters dated 30 June, 19 July and 5 August, alongside nomination forms bearing the signatures of the chairman and organising secretary. Her requested orders seek to invalidate the submissions. The defendants include INEC, Accord and the two officials.
Accord’s legal team, led by Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, has raised several objections to the proceedings. Beyond describing candidate nomination as an internal party matter, it argues that Ajaja brought the case after the 14-day deadline it says applies.
The party also challenges her legal standing because she did not contest its primary election. It further argues that the candidates whose nominations she wants overturned should have joined the proceedings so they could defend their interests.
In its response reported by TheCable, Accord additionally alleges that Ajaja failed to provide a required 21-day notice before commencing the action. These remain arguments advanced by the party in seeking dismissal.
On the disputed signatures, Accord maintains that its leadership authorised the chairman and organising secretary to forward the candidates’ names. It relies on Article 18 of its constitution and provisions of INEC’s guidelines to defend that arrangement.
Mgbudem, in a counter-affidavit, alleges that Ajaja stopped attending National Working Committee meetings. He says the committee authorised the alternative signing arrangement at a meeting on 24 May.
Ejekwumadu offered a similar defence during the television interview, arguing that the party’s constitution provided a way to assign responsibility when an internal disagreement affected the signing of documents.
“The national working committee decides who signs and who does not.”
The presenters questioned whether describing the dispute as an internal affair answered the allegation that party officials had breached their own constitution. Ejekwumadu maintained that the leadership had acted within its powers, while declining to discuss the full merits of a matter before the court.
He also accused Ajaja of acting against the party’s interests during previous election cycles and the current preparations. He referred to the 2019 and 2023 elections but did not provide a detailed account of those allegations during the exchange.
Asked whether voters should trust a party experiencing leadership disagreements ahead of an election, Ejekwumadu said disputes also affected other political organisations. He acknowledged that unresolved divisions could damage electoral performance but expressed confidence that Accord would settle its differences.
He said candidates were concentrating on their campaigns and presenting the party’s policy proposals to voters.
Employment and industrial development formed the main elements of the programme he described. Ejekwumadu proposed partnerships between government and private businesses to establish industrial clusters, employ young people and support production within local communities.
For Ahiazu Mbaise/Ezinihitte, he identified the Mbaise Industrial Cluster Project as the basis of his employment proposal. He put its intended employment reach at up to 5,000 jobs and said Accord wanted to pursue similar initiatives elsewhere.
He linked the proposal to security, arguing that access to productive employment could help reduce young people’s involvement in crime. He also said the approach could increase economic output and encourage greater youth participation in development and politics.
The party’s published manifesto similarly advocates government support for private enterprise, business co-operatives and local industrial development. It includes a proposal to establish an industry in each local government area, drawing on financing for small and medium-sized businesses.
The presenters pressed Ejekwumadu on how he could deliver industrial projects as a legislator, given that implementing government programmes requires executive action.
In response, he cited his previous work as a special adviser in the Senate and House of Representatives. He argued that constituency intervention funding could support industrial ventures and that representatives should identify local resources and businesses that government assistance could help expand.
Ejekwumadu also recalled a House initiative in 2023 concerning industrial development across the country’s 360 federal constituencies. He said he had not seen sufficient implementation.
“This has not been matched with action as far as I can see.”
He placed responsibility on legislators to pursue allocations that addressed their constituencies’ economic needs and to ensure that approved spending benefited communities.
“It is down to the legislature, the lawmaker whose role it is to make sure that the budgetary allocations reach the grassroots.”
Although the presenters also asked about fuel and electricity subsidies, Ejekwumadu did not set out specific proposals on either during the exchange. His responses concentrated on industrial partnerships, employment and the role he believed constituency funding could play in supporting businesses.