A Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti Division, has dismissed a suit challenging the nomination of Toyin Okoro as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency 1 in the 2027 House of Representatives election.

Justice Babs Kuewumi struck out the suit No. FHC/AD/CS/19/2026, filed by Babalotin Bayo against Okoro and three others, for want of locus standi and jurisdiction.

Mr Bayo had approached the court to void the outcome of the APC primary election that produced Mr Okoro as the party’s flag bearer for the Ikere, Ise-Orun and Ekiti South-West federal constituency 1.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Kuewumi held that the suit was incompetent and described the plaintiff as a “meddlesome interloper” and a “busybody” with no legal standing to challenge the primary.

The judge stressed that, under Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, only an aspirant, who participated in a party’s primary election, has the statutory right to challenge its conduct or outcome in court.

Mr Kuewumi also held that a state chapter of a political party has no independent legal status to be sued separately from its national body, and consequently struck out the name of the APC Ekiti State chapter from the suit.

Mr Okoro, an indigene of Ise-Ekiti, emerged candidate after defeating the incumbent lawmaker, AVM Rufus Ojuawo (retd), in the May 2026 APC primary and subsequently confirmed by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Reacting to the judgment, Mr Okoro’s lead counsel, Dr Femi Ogunlade, who appeared with Dr K.O. Francis, described it as a victory for the rule of law and internal party democracy.

“The court has come out clearly to re-affirm that no individual can confer constitutional rights upon themselves where none exists. The substratum of the plaintiff’s case was defective from the outset because he was never an aspirant in the primary election,” Mr Ogunlade said.

Also speaking, a lawyer and community leader from Ise-Ekiti, Adebayo Adeji, said the judgment has ended the legal distractions surrounding Okoro’s candidacy.

“Okoro enjoys overwhelming support across the federal constituency, comprising Ise-Orun, Ikere and Ekiti South-West Local Government Areas.

“The court has validated the choice of the people, and the decision shows that no individual can stand in the way of a moving political train,” Mr Adeji said.

With the legal challenge cleared, Mr Okoro remains the APC’s confirmed candidate for the federal constituency ahead of the 2027 polls.

(NAN)