A legal practitioner, Obunike Ohaegbu, has sued the Nigeria Democratic Congress over its alleged refusal to announce the result of the primary election for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo federal constituency in Anambra.

Mr Ohaegbu, who filed the suit in the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, against five defendants, is seeking an order compelling the party to announce the result of the primary election conducted in May 2026 to nominate its candidate for the 2027 elections.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/26, lists the NDC, Ebere Onunkwo, Socrates Ebo, the Independent National Electoral Commission and Peter Uzokwe as the first to fifth defendants, respectively. The plaintiff claimed that he participated in the primary election and scored the majority of the lawful votes cast at the poll.

He alleged, however, that the NDC refused to declare the result at the venue and instead secretly adopted Uzokwe as its candidate for the constituency, in breach of the party’s primary election guidelines.

Mr Ohaegbu is therefore seeking an order directing the NDC to declare him the winner of the primary election conducted for the constituency. He is also seeking an order compelling the party to submit and upload his name and particulars to INEC as its duly nominated candidate for the constituency.

In addition, the plaintiff is asking the court to restrain the NDC, its officers, agents or privies from submitting or recognising any other person as its candidate for the constituency. He is also seeking an order restraining INEC from accepting, recognising, publishing or acting upon the name of any person other than him as the party’s candidate for the constituency.

At Monday’s proceedings, the hearing could not proceed after the court discovered that the second, third and fifth defendants had not been served with the mandatory hearing notice and were not in court.

Although the plaintiff’s counsel, Ifeanyi Nrilike, confirmed that the parties had filed and exchanged the necessary processes, the judge, Mohammed Umar, directed that hearing notices be served on the absent defendants.

Mr Umar consequently adjourned the matter until October 14 for hearing and ordered that evidence of service of the hearing notice on all the parties must be presented before the adjourned date.

(NAN)