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

The authorized battle over the African Democratic Congress (ADC) main election for the Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency in Jigawa State has taken a dramatic flip earlier than the Federal High Court as a celebration official, Mansur Kanya, wrote to the courtroom denying any involvement within the disputed train.

The crisis started after Baffa Suleiman deposed to an affidavit beneath oath claiming he—and never Zakari Alhaji-Sidi—gained the first election performed on 25 May 2025.

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

In a dramatic twist, Mr Kanya submitted an affidavit of details straight countering Mr Suleiman’s claims, stating that he was in Kaduna State on a nationwide social gathering task when the Jigawa primaries befell and couldn’t have collated the outcomes, not to mention declared Mr Suleiman the winner.

The plaintiff, Mr Alhaji-Sidi—popularly identified as Zakari Kafin-Hausa—gained the social gathering’s main election in May, however was subsequently changed with Mr Suleiman, an aide to ADC National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola.

In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1655/2026, Mr Sidi is in search of the interpretation and enforcement of Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.

He named the ADC as the first Defendant, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 2nd Defendant, and Mr Suleiman as the third Defendant.

The newest courtroom submitting, ready by Mr Sidi’s authorized crew led by Suleh Umar (SAN), was a reply to the counter-affidavits submitted by the first and third defendants on 10 and 16 August.

Mr Sidi maintains that Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the ward and native authorities collation outcomes, monitored and issued by INEC, confirmed his victory.

Conversely, he argues that Mr Suleiman depends completely on a single doc, Exhibit “BSS1,” which lacks foundational collation outcomes from the constituency’s three native authorities areas, describing it as fabricated.

The submitting contends that as custodians of the first election information, the ADC did not tender ward and native authorities consequence sheets to rebut the INEC-certified paperwork.

Invoking Section 167(d) of the Evidence Act 2011, Mr Sidi urged the courtroom to presume that the defendants withheld these paperwork as a result of the proof can be unfavourable to their case.

To problem the validity of Exhibit “BSS1,” Mr Sidi launched Exhibit “AM2”—an official posting letter proving that Mr Kanya was assigned by the ADC to serve on the Kaduna State Appeal Committee on the time of the Jigawa primaries.

Mr Sidi additionally pointed to a congratulatory message despatched to him by Mr Kanya, who wrote to the courtroom to clear his identify and assist Mr Sidi’s place.

Addressing the ADC’s declare relating to discrepancies in his identify, Mr Sidi clarified that ward officers recorded his victory utilizing his broadly identified moniker, “Zakari Kafin-Hausa,” as an alternative of his formal identify, Zakari Alhaji-Sidi, which he used when buying nomination kinds.

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Mr Sidi executed an Affidavit of Reconciliation of Names (Exhibit “1”), arguing that the social gathering can’t exploit an administrative error made by its personal officers to disclaim him the nomination.

Citing Supreme Court and Court of Appeal precedents—together with Amaechi v. INEC and Buhari v. PDP—Mr Sidi urged the courtroom to present decisive weight to the unbiased statutory report generated by INEC as the impartial monitoring authority beneath Section 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 main election monitoring outcomes, and declare him the reputable ADC candidate for the Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency.

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