The Federal High Court sitting in Minna has dismissed an application seeking to amend the names of parties in a suit challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election that produced Yakubu Auna as the party’s candidate for the Magama/Rijau Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The suit was filed by APC aspirant Shehu Auna, through his attorney, Abubakar Danjuma, contesting the validity of the party’s primary election held on June 16, 2026. The plaintiff argues that the exercise, which produced Yakubu Auna as the APC flag bearer, was not validly conducted.
At the resumed hearing, the plaintiff asked the court to grant an application seeking to amend the names of parties in the suit. However, counsel to the defendants opposed the request, arguing that the plaintiff failed to provide sufficient legal grounds to justify the amendment.
The defence further maintained that granting the application would prejudice issues already raised in their preliminary objection before the court and amount to an overreach of matters yet to be determined.
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Abdullahi Aminu Dan-Ige, held that the plaintiff failed to establish sufficient justification for the proposed amendment. The court consequently dismissed the application, describing it as incompetent and lacking merit.
Following the ruling, Justice Dan-Ige adjourned the matter until July 22, 2026, for further proceedings on the substantive case.
Speaking with journalists after the court session, counsel to the plaintiff, Abubakar Danjuma, clarified that the dismissal of the amendment application does not affect the main suit challenging the APC primary election.
He maintained that the case before the court remains focused on determining whether a valid APC primary election was conducted in the Magama/Rijau Federal Constituency on June 16, 2026.
According to Danjuma, the plaintiff is seeking judicial determination on the legitimacy of the process that allegedly produced Yakubu Auna as the APC candidate, stressing that the court has not ruled on the substantive issues in dispute.
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Counsel to the defendants, Philip Ada, welcomed the court’s decision, describing the dismissal of the amendment application as a victory for the defence.
Ada said the defence successfully argued that the application was overreaching and that the court agreed with its position by dismissing the motion.
He added that the next stage of the proceedings will involve the adoption of final written submissions by both parties, after which the court is expected to reserve judgment on the substantive issues raised in the suit.
The case was subsequently adjourned to July 22, 2026, for continuation of hearing.