A legal practitioner and associate of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada has challenged the validity of the Social Democratic Party governorship primary held in Nasarawa State on September 5, 2026, alleging that the exercise failed to comply with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
Obere A. Kana, who made the claim in a statement issued in Keffi, said the process leading to the SDP primary breached Sections 33 and 82(1) of the Electoral Act. He argued that the alleged violations could affect the validity of the primary and the eligibility of the candidate produced by the exercise.
Kana said the SDP had earlier submitted Musa Adamu Angba’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission as its governorship candidate under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act. He noted that INEC subsequently published Angba’s details on August 29, 2026, in line with the relevant provision of the law.
However, the lawyer said Angba had withdrawn his candidature through an affidavit sworn before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 10, 2026. According to Kana, the withdrawal was reportedly made in favour of Mohammed Abubakar Adamu.
He argued that the Electoral Act requires a political party to conduct a fresh primary within 14 days after the withdrawal of its candidate if it intends to replace that candidate.
Kana therefore questioned why the SDP conducted its replacement primary on September 5, more than two months after the date he gave for Angba’s withdrawal. He maintained that the delay amounted to a breach of Section 33 and could make the primary legally invalid.
The legal practitioner also raised concerns about the notice given to INEC before the primary. He referred to Section 82(1), which requires political parties to notify the electoral commission at least 21 days before holding a primary election.
According to him, the SDP’s notice to INEC was dated August 24, 2026, while the primary took place on September 5. He calculated the period between the notice and the primary as only 13 days, which he said fell short of the statutory 21-day requirement.
Kana further relied on Section 82(6), arguing that failure to meet the required notice period could invalidate the primary election. He also cited Section 88(3), which he said prevents a candidate emerging from an invalid nomination process from participating in the subsequent election.
The lawyer said previous decisions of higher courts had dealt with similar disputes involving political party primaries and compliance with electoral laws. He argued that the circumstances surrounding the SDP exercise should therefore be examined against the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and existing court decisions.
Kana urged political stakeholders and other interested parties to carefully review the process through which the SDP conducted its Nasarawa governorship primary. He said doing so would help determine whether the party complied with the legal requirements governing candidate replacement, notice to INEC and the conduct of party primaries.
The claim comes as political parties continue preparations for the 2027 governorship election in Nasarawa State. The validity of party primaries remains an important issue because disputes over nomination procedures can lead to legal challenges and affect the participation of candidates in the general election.
Kana’s position represents an allegation and legal argument from an associate of Wadada, who is the APC governorship candidate. The claims have not been established by a court, and the report does not indicate that the SDP or INEC had responded to the allegations at the time of publication.