Court Sacks Onyeaguocha, Orders INEC to Publish Uche Nwole as NDC Imo East Senatorial Candidate
Court Sacks Onyeaguocha, Orders INEC to Publish Uche Nwole as NDC Imo East Senatorial Candidate
A major legal development has emerged in the race for the Imo East Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections, following a judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish the name of Uche Nwole as the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The judgment, delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar, followed a suit instituted by Nwole against the NDC, INEC and Hon. Uchechukwu Onyeaguocha over the party’s candidate selection process for the Imo East Senatorial seat.
In its ruling, the court ordered the NDC to immediately forward Nwole’s name to INEC as the duly elected candidate of the party, having emerged from the party’s direct primary election, which the court held was monitored by the electoral commission.
The court further directed INEC to accept, enlist and publish Nwole’s name on the final list of candidates for the Imo East Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.
Justice Umar held that the primary election was conducted in accordance with Sections 84(1) and (2), as well as Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026, and that Nwole had fulfilled the statutory requirements to participate in the exercise and emerge as the party’s candidate.
The court also restrained the NDC from nominating or submitting any other individual as its candidate for the senatorial district.
Similarly, INEC was barred from accepting, recognising or publishing the name of any other purported NDC candidate for the seat based on a primary election that was not conducted or monitored by the commission.
In addition, the court ruled that the party could not conduct a primary election and subsequently replace its outcome with a consensus arrangement that failed to comply with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
The judgment represents a significant development in the internal political contest surrounding the NDC’s Imo East Senatorial ticket, particularly following the earlier controversy over the process through which the party’s candidate emerged.
With the latest court order, the NDC is expected to comply with the directive by forwarding Nwole’s name to INEC, while the electoral commission is expected to give effect to the judgment.
The development adds a new dimension to the political contest in Imo East as preparations continue towards the 2027 general elections.
