A legal practitioner, Obunike Calistus Ohaegbu has dragged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), before the Federal High Court in Abuja, over the refusal of the party’s national leadership to announce the result of the primary election conducted for Nnewi North/Newi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, of Anambra state.
The aggrieved lawyer in his suit he filed against five defendants, is praying the court for an order to compel the NDC to announce the result of the primary election conducted in May 2026, for the purpose of nomination of candidate for the 2027 general election.
Listed as defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/26 are NDC, Dr. Ebere Onunkwo, Dr. Socrates Ebo, Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) and Mr. Peter Uzokwe as the 1st to 5th defendants respectively.
The legal practitioner amongst others, claimed that he participated in the primary election and scored majority of the lawful votes at the poll.
He however asserted that the NDC refused to declare the result of the primary election at the venue and instead secretly adopted one Ebere Onunkwo as the nominated candidate for the Federal constituency, in breach of the party guidelines of the primary election.
Obunike is therefore seeking an order directing the NDC to declare him the winner of the primary election conducted for Nnewi
North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal
Constituency.
The plaintiff is also seeking another order compelling NDC to submit and upload his name and particulars to INEC as its duly nominated candidate for Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency.
Besides, the plaintiff also applied for an order restraining NDC, whether by itself, its officers, agents or privies, from submitting or recognizing any other person as its candidate for Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency.
The lawyer also prayed the court for an order restraining INEC from accepting, recognizing, publishing or acting upon the name of any person other than the Plaintiff as the candidate of the party for newi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency.
At Mondays proceedings, hearing could not go on following the discovery by the Court that the 2nd, 3rd and 5th defendants were not served with the mandatory hearing notice and were not in court.
Although counsel to the plaintiff, Ifeanyi Nrilike confirmed to Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, that parties have filed and exchanged necessary processes, the judge however directed that hearing notice be served on those who were not in court for them to be present in Court.
Justice Umar consequently fixed October 14, for hearing of the suit, and ordered that there must be evidence of service of hearing notice on all the parties before the adjourned date.
