ABUJA — A legal practitioner, Mr Obunike Calistus Ohaegbu, has sued the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) at the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the party’s alleged refusal to announce the result of its May 2026 primary for Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency of Anambra.
Ohaegbu, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/26, is asking the court to compel the NDC to declare him winner of the primary and submit his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for the 2027 general election.
The suit lists the NDC, Dr Ebere Onunkwo, Dr Socrates Ebo, INEC and Mr Peter Uzokwe as the first to fifth defendants respectively.
The plaintiff claimed that he participated in the primary and scored the majority of the lawful votes cast.
He alleged that the NDC failed to announce the result at the venue and instead secretly adopted another aspirant as its candidate, contrary to the party’s primary-election guidelines.
Ohaegbu is also seeking an order restraining the NDC, its officers, agents or privies from submitting or recognising any other person as its candidate for the constituency.
He is further asking the court to restrain INEC from accepting, recognising, publishing or acting on the name of any person other than him as the NDC candidate.
At Monday’s proceedings, hearing could not commence because the second, third and fifth defendants had not been served with the mandatory hearing notice and were absent from court.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Ifeanyi Nrilike, told Justice Mohammed Garba Umar that the parties had filed and exchanged the necessary processes.
The judge directed that hearing notices be served on the absent defendants and adjourned the matter until Oct. 14 for hearing.
Justice Umar also ordered that evidence of service of the hearing notice on all the parties be presented before the adjourned date.
