Joseph Faduri, the Action Alliance (AA) presidential candidate backed by the party faction led by Kenneth Udeze, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of Rufai Omo-Aje as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
INEC’s final list of presidential candidates for the 2027 election names Mr Omo-Aje as the AA presidential candidate.
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However, Mr Faduri, who emerged as the candidate of the Udeze-led faction, said the commission’s position disregards a Court of Appeal decision which, according to him, affirmed Mr Udeze as the authentic national chairman of the party.
Mr Faduri made the allegation while appearing on Arise Television on Thursday, amid the prolonged leadership dispute within the AA.
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The dispute centres on competing claims to the party’s legitimate leadership and the validity of decisions made by the rival factions.
The Court of Appeal issued decisions which Mr Udeze and his supporters cited as affirming his leadership of the party.
In April, the appellate court in Makurdi dismissed an appeal challenging the validity of the AA’s February 2025 national convention, while Mr Udeze has also relied on an earlier Abuja Court of Appeal judgment recognising him as the party’s national chairman.
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At the same time, a September 2025 judgement of the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State, favoured the faction led by Omo-Aje. The conflicting court decisions have remained central to the dispute over which faction is entitled to control the party and nominate candidates.
Mr Faduri accused INEC of relying on the Osogbo judgement instead of the decisions of the Court of Appeal.
“You will imagine that an INEC chairman, who’s supposed to be a referee and not a player, should obey the high court order. But instead of obeying the Court of Appeal, the INEC chairman is sticking with the old High Court order,” he said.
He questioned the implications of the dispute for the credibility of the 2027 election, arguing that INEC’s handling of the AA crisis could affect public confidence in the electoral process.
“Nigerians want a free and fair election. But if this process from the beginning seems to be a foul play, then how do they believe in an election where the umpire is already being biased?” he said.
Mr Faduri said he had returned to court in an effort to compel INEC to recognise his candidacy, adding that he had also written to the Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene.
“We have a case in court to compel INEC. In fact, we have written to the Attorney-General of the Federation to also intervene in the matter, so that at the end of the day they can compel INEC to do the needful,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the dispute could still be resolved before the election, saying the commission needed to comply with the relevant court orders.
“We just need INEC to do the needful, because if this election is to be free and fair, it means that INEC must first see to be obeying court orders,” he said.
INEC has not publicly responded to Mr Faduri’s latest allegations.
The commission has, however, proceeded with Mr Omo-Aje as the AA presidential candidate. The party submitted Mr Omo-Aje’s nomination to INEC in July after his emergence at the party’s presidential primary in May. INEC subsequently included him in its final list of presidential candidates released this month.
Why Faduri no longer backs Obi
Mr Faduri also explained why he no longer supports former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s bid for the presidency in 2027.
According to him, Mr Obi is no longer on his political platform and should not be treated as the opposition’s automatic candidate.
He also disagreed with Mr Obi’s reported position that he would serve only one four-year term if elected.
“When you look at Mr Obi’s arrangement, he said after four years he must leave. You are not the one to decide whether you should leave, let the people, the electorate that want to put you there, decide,” Mr Faduri said.
Faduri’s policy proposals
On his policy agenda, Mr Faduri said he would support the restoration of fuel subsidy, arguing that the policy would help reduce the burden of petrol prices on Nigerians.
“All of them are saying today that they want to return fuel subsidy; that is what I’ve been saying. Now that they’re saying it, it’s okay, let’s return the fuel subsidy,” he said.
He also proposed greater government patronage of locally manufactured vehicles, particularly those produced by Nigerian manufacturers such as Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing.
“When you go to most nations of the world, they use cars made in their own country as official cars. We have Innoson. Why are we not using them as official cars in this country?” he asked.
According to him, increased patronage of locally produced vehicles would encourage manufacturers to establish more production facilities and create jobs.
Mr Faduri also called for increased investment in public healthcare infrastructure, including hospitals and ambulances.
He said the practice of Nigerian leaders travelling abroad for medical treatment demonstrated the weaknesses in the country’s healthcare system.
“Our leaders go to Europe. They call it vacation, but we all know it’s medical treatment,” he said, noting that he is a licensed nurse in the United States.
“Why don’t we create more hospitals here? Why don’t we have more ambulances, instead of campaign buses, so that Nigerians can work?” he asked.
He further criticised the cost of seeking political office in Nigeria, arguing that the financial demands of elections could discourage qualified Nigerians from participating.
“Nigerian politics is so expensive that if we continue this way, we’re not going to get the best people to run our nation,” he said.
Mr Faduri said Nigerians in the diaspora could play a greater role in funding credible political candidates if the electoral system provided more opportunities for their participation.
Faduri’s political journey
Mr Faduri, who previously participated in the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential campaign, said his entry into politics was driven by his concerns about Nigeria’s leadership and socio-economic challenges.
He said he began questioning the country’s direction after repeatedly returning to Nigeria from the United States and observing what he described as worsening conditions.
“Before 2022, I used to come to Nigeria twice a year. And when I come back again, I see that things get worse than when I left it. So I was wondering what is happening in our country,” he said.
He said he subsequently travelled to more than 22 countries to study their systems and concluded that poor leadership was a major problem confronting Nigeria.
Mr Faduri became involved in the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 election and supported Peter Obi’s presidential campaign. He said he organised fundraising among Nigerians in the United States, raising more than $80,000 from his local community and over $500,000 nationally among Obi’s supporters.
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He later left the Labour Party following internal disagreements and declined an invitation to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“I’m not going to join people who invited me to the ADC. I would rather go somewhere else, where I can be with Nigerian people,” he said.
He subsequently joined the National Rescue Movement before moving to the Action Alliance.
Explaining his movement between political parties, Mr Faduri criticised what he described as the failure of many opposition parties to provide a credible alternative to the ruling establishment.
“Most of the political parties we have, many of them are not working to see a country moving forward. What we have is not really opposition parties; they’re stomach-vision parties,” he said.
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