A legal practitioner, Obunike Ohaegbu, has sued the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the alleged failure of the party to collate, declare and publish the result of its primary election for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency in Anambra State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/2026, was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the primary election conducted on May 29, 2026, to nominate the party’s candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
Ohaegbu listed the NDC, Ebere Onunkwo, Socrates Ebo, INEC and Peter Uzokwe as the first to fifth defendants, respectively.
In the originating summons, the plaintiff said he participated in the primary election and “scored the highest number of lawful votes”.
He is asking the court to determine whether, having secured the highest number of lawful votes, he is the validly elected and nominated candidate of the NDC for the constituency in the January 2027 general election.
Ohaegbu is also challenging the party’s alleged failure or refusal to announce and publish the result despite the completion of the electoral process by its appointed electoral officers.
The plaintiff further questioned an alleged directive by the NDC that the result should not be announced at the venue of the primary but only at its national headquarters.
He wants the court to determine whether the directive could be used to “suppress, alter, substitute or refuse to declare the lawful winner of the primary election”.
Ohaegbu also challenged the process that led to the recognition of Uzokwe as the party’s candidate.
Reliefs Sought
Among the reliefs sought, Ohaegbu is asking the court to declare him the validly elected and nominated candidate of the NDC, having scored the highest number of lawful votes in the primary.
He is also seeking an order directing the party to “forthwith declare and return the Plaintiff as the winner” of the election.
The plaintiff wants the court to declare that any attempt by the NDC to replace him with another person as its candidate is unlawful, null and void.
He is further seeking an order compelling the party to “submit and upload the Plaintiff’s name and particulars” to INEC as its duly nominated candidate for the constituency.
Ohaegbu is also asking the court to restrain the NDC from submitting or recognising any other person as its candidate and to prevent INEC from accepting, recognising, publishing or acting on the name of anyone other than him as the party’s nominee.
Specifically, the plaintiff wants the court to determine whether, if he is found to have lawfully won the primary “and not the 5th Defendant” (Uzokwe), the NDC is legally obligated to declare him the winner and submit his name to INEC.
The suit also asks the court to determine whether INEC would be bound to recognise and publish Ohaegbu as the party’s candidate upon compliance with the Electoral Act or pursuant to the court’s judgment.
Court Adjourns Case to October 14
At Monday’s proceedings, the case could not be heard after the court found that the second, third and fifth defendants had not been served with the mandatory hearing notice and were absent.
Ifeanyi Nrialike, counsel to Ohaegbu, confirmed that the parties had filed and exchanged the relevant court processes.
The court, however, directed that hearing notices be served on the absent defendants.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case to October 14 for hearing and ordered that proof of service of the hearing notice on all parties be presented before the adjourned date.
