APC Senatorial Ticket: Federal High Court Strikes Out Nwoko’s Suit Against Okowa’s Candidacy

The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit filed by Senator Ned Munir Nwoko seeking to nullify the emergence of former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Delta North Senatorial District. Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Mohammed Umar held that the case was incurably defective from inception.

The suit, marked FCT/ABJ/CS/1062/2026, was initially instituted not by Senator Nwoko himself but through his purported attorney, Mike Nwoko. The senator later attempted to amend the originating processes to reflect that he personally filed the action. This move was vigorously opposed by the APC, Okowa, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all of whom were listed as defendants.

Justice Umar upheld the objections, including submissions made by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, for the APC. The court found that the originating summons clearly indicated the suit was filed in a representative capacity, contrary to the requirements of the law.

Relying on Section 285(14) of the Constitution and Section 88(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, the judge emphasized that the right to institute a pre‑election matter is vested solely in an aspirant who participated in the relevant party primary. He ruled that such a right is personal and cannot be delegated to an agent or exercised through a power of attorney.

The court further rejected Nwoko’s bid to amend the originating summons, holding that an amendment cannot cure a suit that was void ab initio. Justice Umar explained that the court’s power to grant amendments applies only to competent proceedings already before it. Since the originating process was a nullity, it conferred no jurisdiction on the court, and no retrospective amendment could alter that position.

Consequently, the application for amendment was dismissed, and the entire suit was struck out for want of jurisdiction. Okowa, who served as Governor of Delta State from 2015 to 2023, remains the APC candidate for the Delta North Senatorial seat in the forthcoming general election. Senator Nwoko has yet to publicly react to the ruling.

In a related development, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, restrained the APC and INEC from altering a disputed list of candidates from Benue State’s 2027 primaries. The suit, filed on 5 July 2026 by aggrieved APC aspirants, sought to prevent the substitution of validly nominated candidates. The matter has been adjourned to 21 July 2026 for substantive hearing.

… APC Senatorial Ticket: Federal High Court Strikes Out Nwoko’s Suit Against Okowa’s Candidacy … Naijaonpoint.