A legal practitioner, Obunike Ohaegbu, has dragged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged failure of the party to announce the result of its primary election for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency of Anambra State.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/26, was filed in connection with the party’s May 2026 primary conducted to select its candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
Ohaegbu, who participated in the primary, claimed that he secured the majority of the lawful votes cast at the election.
He alleged that despite the conclusion of the voting process, the party failed to announce the result at the venue and instead recognised another aspirant, Peter Uzokwe, as its candidate.
The plaintiff is asking the court to compel the NDC to formally declare him the winner of the primary and submit his name and particulars to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s duly nominated candidate for the constituency.
He is also seeking an order restraining the NDC, its officers and agents from submitting or recognising any other person as its candidate for the constituency.
Similarly, Ohaegbu wants the court to restrain INEC from accepting, recognising, publishing or acting upon the name of any person other than him as the NDC candidate, should the court find that he lawfully won the primary.
The suit lists the NDC, Ebere Onunkwo, Socrates Ebo, INEC and Peter Uzokwe as the first to fifth defendants respectively.
At Monday’s proceedings, hearing could not commence after the court discovered that the second, third and fifth defendants had not been served with the mandatory hearing notices and were absent from court.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Ifeanyi Nrilike, informed the court that the parties had filed and exchanged the relevant processes.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, however, directed that the absent defendants be served with the required hearing notices before the matter could proceed.
The court consequently adjourned the case until October 14, 2026, for hearing and ordered that evidence of service on all parties be presented before the next adjourned date.
The case is expected to determine the legal dispute surrounding the outcome and nomination arising from the NDC primary for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election.
