Ex-Commissioner Iliasu Sues PDP, INEC Over Candidacy

Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu, the former Commissioner for Works, has initiated legal proceedings against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Federal High Court in Ilorin. The lawsuit arises from the PDP's substitution of Iliasu's name as the Kwara North senatorial candidate, replacing it with Baba Kolo Jiyah's name, which INEC published on Saturday.

Iliasu asserts that he won the party's primary election held on May 20 and that his name was published by INEC as the candidate on August 1. He argues that the substitution of his name by Jiyah occurred without his formal withdrawal, which he claims is a violation of Section 31 of the Electoral Act, 2026.

Iliasu is seeking a court declaration that the substitution is unlawful, that he remains the valid PDP candidate, and an order for INEC to recognize him as such. He also requests that INEC be restrained from acknowledging Jiyah as the candidate pending the outcome of the suit.