The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a pre-election suit seeking to nullify the emergence of Mr. Oden Ibiang Ewa as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Cross River Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during morning court proceedings at Court 5 of the Abuja Judicial Division, the presiding judge, Justice M. G. Umar, threw out the case on the grounds that the plaintiff lacked the requisite legal standing (locus standi) to institute the action.
The court further held that the suit was statute-barred and legally incompetent, having been filed outside the statutory window prescribed for pre-election litigation.
The suit, marked Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1096/2026, was filed by Barrister Mary Ogoba Ekpere against Mr. Oden Ibiang Ewa and two other defendants. In her originating summons, Ekpere had challenged the validity of the processes that culminated in Ewa’s emergence as the winner of the APC senatorial primary election conducted on May 16, 2026.
In upholding the preliminary objections raised by the defence team, Justice Umar affirmed Ewa’s victory at the May 16 primary, noting that the plaintiff failed to establish any legally recognizable injury or standing to contest the outcome of the party’s internal selection process.
Reacting to the verdict outside the courtroom in Abuja, Ewa’s lead counsel, Chief Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, welcomed the judgment as a thorough vindication of his client’s mandate.
Cautioning the plaintiff against prolonging the dispute at the appellate court, Ojukwu said, “Fortunately, the court has consigned the suit to the judicial abyss. I think the plaintiff should learn from this and refrain from appealing, as we shall be seeking substantial costs if they do.”
In Calabar and across the senatorial district, key APC stakeholders also hailed the ruling as a decisive end to internal legal distractions ahead of the polls.
Speaking on behalf of party leaders in Cross River Central, an APC chieftain, Chief Obeten Emmanuel Obeten, urged aggrieved members to close ranks in the interest of party unity. “The court has finally spoken, confirming Oden Ewa as the duly elected representative of the Central Senatorial District.
I advise all concerned to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign. We have barely three months to the election, so let us come together and deliver APC candidates,” Obeten said.
Similarly, a prominent party stakeholder from Ikom Local Government Area, Ntufam Justine Agbor, stated that the judicial affirmation had further solidified Ewa’s standing among the electorate. “Again, the court has added legal backing to Ewa’s election. It is an indication that he is the people’s choice.
This is the auspicious time for the electorate to come out en masse and vote for APC candidates. Ewa has the capacity and the zeal to represent us at the National Assembly,” Agbor remarked.
With the dismissal of the suit at the trial court, party leaders in Cross River Central have shifted focus toward reconciling aggrieved factions and intensifying grassroots mobilisation ahead of the upcoming general elections.
