Court sets July 1 hearing in Delta APC senatorial primary dispute

Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has set a hearing date of July 1 for a case contesting the result of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary in Delta South Senatorial District.

Justice Umar adjourned the matter to the new date shortly after the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1094/2026, was mentioned on Thursday.

Prince Michael Diden is the plaintiff in the suit, filed on May 30. Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are the first, second, and third respondents, respectively.

In the suit, Diden seeks a declaration that he won the May 18 direct primary election for the APC’s candidate for the 2027 senatorial election in the district, arguing that he received the highest number of votes.

The Writ of Summons, filed by Diden’s legal team led by Mr. Bankole Joel Akomolafe, SAN, accuses the first respondent of manipulating and announcing forged results.

In his statement of claim, Diden says the APC National Working Committee, which organized the primary, established procedures for announcing results. He alleges that the results were to be collated and announced only during an official briefing in Abuja after all results were submitted.

He contends that, contrary to those instructions, the first respondent immediately announced himself as the winner through various media outlets, thereby misleading the public and members of the senatorial district.

“The first defendant connived with his cohorts to produce forged results, falsely declaring himself the winner. He not only published the fabricated results of the eight Local Government Areas in Delta South Senatorial District but also recorded a video that went viral, misleading the people,” Diden said.

The plaintiff further alleges that the first defendant made these false representations fraudulently, knowing they were untrue or acting recklessly, despite election monitoring by officials of the third defendant.

“Contrary to the false results announced by the first defendant in the viral video, the plaintiff, through his agents in all wards of the eight Local Government Areas, has the authentic results, showing that the plaintiff defeated the first defendant by a wide margin, scoring 96,893 votes to the first defendant’s 31,918,” Diden stated.

He added that, following his decisive victory, “leaders, stakeholders, elders, women, youths and registered members of the APC in the senatorial district wrote a formal petition to the party’s national headquarters to denounce and reject the fraudulent declaration of the first defendant as the winner.”

Diden’s lawyers also filed a complaint with the National Chairman of the second respondent about the “desperate manipulation and announcement of fake results” of the May 18 election.

“The first defendant’s actions have embarrassed all contestants and cast aspersions on the entire election process,” Diden said. “I ask this Honourable Court to grant the reliefs sought and set the record straight for all observers.”

Among the reliefs he seeks is a declaration that, having received the highest number of valid votes at the APC primary on May 18, 2026, and having satisfied the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the APC Direct Primaries Guidelines and Procedures, he be declared the winner and recognised as the APC candidate for the 2027 general election in Delta South Senatorial District.

He also requests an order directing the APC to forward his name to INEC as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election in Delta South Senatorial District.

Additionally, Diden seeks an order directing INEC to accept and/or receive his name from the APC as the party’s candidate in the 2027 senatorial election in Delta South Senatorial District.