The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a pre-election lawsuit filed by Senator Ned Munir Nwoko seeking to void the emergence of former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Delta North Senatorial District.
Presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, delivered the ruling on Monday, July 20, 2026, upholding legal objections raised by the defence team that the suit was fundamentally defective and legally incompetent from its inception.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1062/2026, was initially filed in Senator Nwoko’s name through his lawful attorney, Dr. Mike Nwoko, rather than personally by the candidate himself.
Justice Umar ruled that under Section 285(14) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 88(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, the right to challenge primary election outcomes is an exclusive personal statutory right that cannot be delegated to an attorney or representative.
The court rejected Nwoko’s application to amend the originating summons to reflect personal initiation, agreeing with lead defence counsel Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) that a suit void from inception cannot be cured by a subsequent amendment.
The legal battle stems from contested primary elections for the Delta North Senatorial District ticket, where former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was declared the flagbearer for the APC. Senator Nwoko challenged the election outcome, alleging procedural irregularities.
With the dismissal of the suit, Okowa’s position as the official candidate of the APC for Delta North Senatorial District stands affirmed ahead of the upcoming general elections.
