Court voids APC Primary in Balanga/Billiri, Bars ex-Minority Whip Ali JC from Rerun
A Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has nullified the May 16, 2026 primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that produced Ali Isa, popularly known as Ali JC, as the party’s candidate for the Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency.
The court also barred him from taking part in the fresh primary it ordered.
Ali JC is a former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives and currently represents the constituency. He was declared winner of the primary and was expected to seek another term in the 2027 election. The judgment is a setback to that bid.
The suit was filed by a rival aspirant, who argued that Ali JC was not a valid member of the APC when the primary was held and therefore had no right to contest. The plaintiff told the court that he joined the party only 16 days before the exercise.
In its ruling, the court held that Ali JC’s name was not in the APC membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before the primary, as required by Section 77 of the Electoral Act. The judge said the issue was not simply whether he was a member of the party, but whether the statutory requirement on the register was met. She also noted that neither the APC nor INEC produced evidence showing that his name was on the register submitted within the period required by law.
Relying on recent Supreme Court decisions, the court distinguished such a case from an ordinary dispute over party membership and held that it could examine the compliance.
The court declared his participation in the primary invalid, unlawful, null and void. It directed the APC to conduct a fresh primary for the constituency within 30 days, excluding Ali JC from the contest.
The ruling came about a week after another court nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary that produced former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as the party’s governorship candidate in Gombe State. The PDP has since held a fresh primary, which again produced him as its candidate.
Efforts to get Ali JC’s reaction to the judgment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
