‘I Will Meet Tanko In Court’: Obidient Diaspora Manager Ukpabi Fights N5bn Suit Over NDC Ticket Given To Tanko’s Son
‘I Will Meet Tanko In Court’: Obidient Diaspora Manager Ukpabi Fights N5bn Suit Over NDC Ticket Given To Tanko’s Son
She maintained that Rakiya, whose alleged victory is at the centre of the dispute, was alive and could testify to the events surrounding the primary, while Certified True Copies (CTCs) of relevant electoral documents would form part of her defence.
Nmaa Ukpabi, Diaspora Alignment Project Manager of the Obidient Movement, has vowed to defend herself in court against a ₦5 billion defamation suit filed by former National Coordinator of the movement, Dr Yunusa Tanko, over allegations surrounding the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) House of Assembly ticket for Kawo Constituency in Kaduna State.
Ukpabi said she had evidence to support her claims concerning the disputed primary election between Rakiya Baba Mohammed and Tanko’s son, Yunusa Mohammed Salisu.
She maintained that Rakiya, whose alleged victory is at the centre of the dispute, was alive and could testify to the events surrounding the primary, while Certified True Copies (CTCs) of relevant electoral documents would form part of her defence.
“I am meeting Dr Tanko in court. I have my evidence. Rakiya is alive and is my life evidence. Her CTC is also my evidence,” Ukpabi said.
The legal dispute followed allegations that Rakiya won the NDC primary for Kawo Constituency but was subsequently replaced by Salisu as the party’s candidate.
According to the electoral officer’s report cited in the dispute, Rakiya polled 225 votes against Salisu’s 132 votes and was declared the winner of the primary, which was described as successfully and peacefully conducted.
However, Salisu was later listed as the NDC candidate for the constituency, triggering a dispute over the ticket.
Tanko, through his lawyers, V-C Ottaokpukpu & Associates and Umuchukwu Chambers, subsequently demanded ₦5 billion from Ukpabi over publications he described as defamatory and accusing him of manipulating the process to favour his son.
The controversy had already become public before Ukpabi joined the dispute.
In a series of posts on X on June 20, 2026, Rakiya identified herself as an NDC candidate for the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Kawo Constituency, Kaduna North, and alleged that she defeated Salisu at the May 29 primary.
She said she scored 225 votes while Salisu polled 132 votes, adding that the primary was concluded peacefully in four wards.
According to Rakiya, the election in the fifth ward, Badarawa/Malali, was cancelled after thugs allegedly disrupted the process and prevented voters from participating.
She alleged that INEC officials did not appear at the affected ward and that available security personnel were unable to control the situation.
Rakiya said she was subsequently issued compiled results which she claimed were endorsed by the Returning Officer, an INEC official and a security representative.
She further alleged that shortly after the primary, Salisu posted on social media claiming victory despite the alleged cancellation of the election in Badarawa/Malali.
Rakiya said she later received a congratulatory call from NDC Kaduna State Chairman Mordecai Ibrahim on May 30 and continued her political consultations.
She alleged that party stakeholders subsequently travelled to Abuja over the nomination forms and were told that the results had been changed.
According to her, the Kaduna State chairman was instructed to issue the nomination form to Salisu.
“I find it difficult to believe that this aligns with the principles and values of Peter Obi, KwankwasoRM, HSDickson and the NDC party as a whole,” Rakiya wrote.
She demanded that the party give her the nomination form, insisting that she had won the primary and had evidence to prove her claim.
Rakiya also accused Tanko, who was then coordinator of the Obidient Movement, of allegedly attempting to help his son obtain the ticket.
“As a member of the NDC selection committee and coordinator of the Obidient movement, you have a duty to be neutral, yet you’re openly pushing your son’s name for the ticket again,” she alleged.
She called on Tanko to recuse himself from the process, arguing that his son’s participation created a conflict of interest.
Rakiya also alleged that Salisu conducted what she described as a parallel election in Badarawa/Malali after the official process was disrupted.
“Your son conducted the primary elections at Badarawa Malali ward by himself after he brought in thugs that drove away the voters of his opposition which led to the cancellation of that ward,” she alleged.
She questioned how Salisu could produce election results from a ward where she claimed the official primary had been cancelled.
“Do you have a copy of the election result that you are claiming victory for your son?” she asked.
Rakiya also questioned the appearance of alleged underage and unregistered persons in material posted by Salisu from the disputed ward.
She called on INEC and NDC leaders to investigate the matter, maintaining that INEC possessed copies of the May 29 primary results.
“I am not dead and I have not voluntarily withdrawn from this race,” Rakiya wrote, warning against replacing her name despite the existence of what she described as endorsed primary results.
She said she was not seeking special treatment but wanted what she believed she had earned through a democratic process.
“I am not asking for special treatment, favors or sympathy. I am demanding what I rightfully earned through a transparent democratic process,” she said.
Ukpabi said she became involved in the matter after seeing Rakiya’s public allegations and decided to independently investigate the claims.
According to Ukpabi, she had never met or spoken with Rakiya before June 2026. She said she initially contacted Tanko to hear his side before reaching out to Rakiya.
Ukpabi said Tanko told her that his son had won the primary and provided documents which he said supported the claim.
She said she reviewed the documents but was not convinced, prompting her to speak with Rakiya.
According to Ukpabi, Rakiya told her that the primary was conducted in four of the five wards, while voting in Badarawa/Malali was cancelled following alleged disruption by thugs.
Ukpabi alleged that a result sheet later emerged from the affected ward showing votes for both candidates, despite Rakiya’s claim that no primary had been held there.
She questioned how votes could have been recorded in a ward where, according to Rakiya’s account, no election took place.
Ukpabi further alleged that Rakiya told her ward executives were involved in producing the disputed result.
She also claimed that the Kaduna State NDC leadership initially congratulated Rakiya and asked her to collect her nomination documents before she was allegedly informed that an instruction “from above” required the documents to be issued to Salisu.
Ukpabi said she subsequently challenged Tanko privately before taking the matter to Obidient Movement leadership platforms.
“I will fight for justice for Rakiya,” she said, questioning why Tanko sued her instead of Rakiya, whom she said was the original person to publicly raise allegations about the disputed mandate.
Ukpabi maintained that she only amplified allegations Rakiya had already made publicly.
“I have all the evidence to prove in court that Rakiya Baba Mohammed won her mandate,” she said.
“Rakiya Baba Mohammed is alive and can attest to everything I have said here regarding her mandate and Dr Tanko’s involvement.”
The dispute subsequently spilled into the Obidient Movement, after 19 Northern State Coordinators and the Federal Capital Territory coordinator issued a joint statement demanding evidence from Ukpabi.
In a September 1, 2026 letter, the coordinators demanded a CTC from the party or INEC showing that Rakiya had been declared winner of the Kawo primary.
They also requested relevant electoral forms, an affidavit explaining how Ukpabi allegedly established that the result had been altered, as well as links or screenshots of posts in which Rakiya or others accused Tanko and his son of taking the mandate.
The coordinators warned that failure to provide the requested evidence could lead to legal and disciplinary action.
Ukpabi’s lawyers subsequently responded, arguing that demanding CTCs of public electoral records was legally misconceived because such documents could be obtained directly from INEC or other relevant authorities.
They maintained that Ukpabi stood by her allegations and had evidence to substantiate her position before a competent court.
The Northern coordinators later maintained that the Obidient Movement had the constitutional right to regulate its internal affairs and invited Ukpabi to appear before its National Legal and Disciplinary Committee with her evidence.
Ukpabi, however, said neither the internal dispute nor the ₦5 billion lawsuit had intimidated her.
“I told Ottaokpukpu to proceed with the lawsuit and to do so quickly. I am prepared to meet Tanko and his nineteen northern state coordinators in court,” she said.
“This lawsuit is intended to silence me, but I refuse to be intimidated into silence. I will fight for justice for Rakiya,” she added.
Ukpabi also questioned what she described as the principles of the Obidient Movement.
“What do the values and principles of the Obidient Movement stand for?” she asked.
“I thought the Obidient Movement stood for justice, advocacy, and activism. I thought the movement fought for the rights of the oppressed.”
She also raised concerns about her safety, asking the public to hold Tanko and the 19 Northern State Coordinators responsible if anything happened to her or Rakiya.
“This is a very serious case, and this is Nigeria, where anything can happen in an attempt to conceal evidence without a trace,” she said.
“I must remain alive to pursue this case against Tanko and obtain justice for Rakiya Baba Mohammed.”
Ukpabi also alleged that she was assaulted at a rally marking Peter Obi’s birthday in Lagos last year after opposing the alleged handling of funds for the event.
She said she spent six weeks in hospital following the alleged assault and that an investigation report concerning the incident had remained unresolved.
She also questioned an alleged ₦2 million expenditure on security for the event and demanded a comprehensive financial report.
“I have no respect for corruption, and I can be outspoken when provoked. However, I am neither a thief nor corrupt.
“I am simply a woman who stands for justice, fairness, and the possibility of a new Nigeria for Rakiya Baba Mohammed and for me,” she said.
“I will meet Tanko in court. Let’s go to court.”
Efforts to obtain Tanko’s response were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls nor responded to a message sent to him at the time of filing this report.
