A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed July 1, 2026, for hearing in a suit challenging the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Delta South Senatorial District.
Justice Mohammed Umar fixed the date after the matter, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1094/2026, was mentioned before the court.
The suit was instituted by Prince Micheal Diden against the senator representing Delta South, Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), listed as first, second and third respondents respectively.
Diden, through his counsel led by Bankole Akomolafe, SAN, is seeking to be declared winner of the May 18, 2026 direct primary election conducted to select the APC candidate for the 2027 senatorial election in Delta South, claiming he secured the highest number of votes cast.
In the originating processes filed on May 30, the plaintiff alleged that Senator Onowakpo manipulated the outcome of the exercise and announced forged results.
According to Diden, the National Working Committee of the APC had stipulated that collation and announcement of results would be conducted exclusively at an official briefing in Abuja after submission of results from the field.
He, however, alleged that the first defendant prematurely declared himself winner through various media platforms, thereby misleading party members and the public.
“The 1st Defendant connived and colluded with his cohorts to write forged results where he falsely declared himself winner of the election,” the plaintiff stated, adding that videos of the purported declaration had gone viral.
Diden further claimed that authentic ward-by-ward results obtained by his agents across the eight local government areas in Delta South showed that he polled 96,893 votes, while Senator Onowakpo scored 31,918 votes.
He maintained that his alleged victory prompted party leaders, stakeholders, women, youths and members in the senatorial district to petition the APC national headquarters, rejecting what they described as the fraudulent declaration of the first defendant as winner.
According to him, his lawyers also petitioned the National Chairman of the APC over what they termed manipulation and announcement of fake results.
The plaintiff contended that the actions of the first defendant had embarrassed contestants and undermined the integrity of the primary election process.
Among the reliefs sought, Diden is asking the court to declare him the valid winner of the May 18 APC direct primary and consequently affirm him as the party’s candidate for the Delta South Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
He is also seeking an order compelling the APC to forward his name to INEC as its candidate and directing the electoral commission to accept and recognize him accordingly.
No date has yet been fixed for the respondents to file their defence.
