Nigerian court dismisses Ned Nwoko's challenge to APC's Okowa candidacy

A Federal High Court in Abuja struck out a pre‑election suit filed by Senator Ned Nwoko that sought to nullify former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Delta North senatorial district. Justice Mohammed Umar ruled the suit was fundamentally defective because it was filed through an attorney, whereas the Constitution (Sec 285(14)) and the Electoral Act (Sec 88(2)) reserve the right to institute such actions solely to the aspirant who participated in the party primary. The judge rejected Nwoko’s request to amend the originating process and dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction.

Following the ruling, Nwoko announced he will appeal the decision, asserting the court erred in dismissing the substantive merits of his claim. Meanwhile, the civil society group Friends of Hiliary urged Delta North voters to move beyond the legal dispute and focus on development and effective representation.

The case involves the APC, former governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal High Court, highlighting procedural constraints on intra‑party challenges in Nigeria’s electoral system.