Nigerian Courts Uphold APC Candidacies in Kwara and Ekiti

Federal High Courts in Abuja and Ado-Ekiti dismissed separate lawsuits challenging the candidacies of All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Kwara and Ekiti states. In both instances, judges ruled that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to bring pre-election challenges, citing the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026.

In Abuja, Justice Emeka Nwite dismissed a suit filed by the Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices Initiative against Yakubu Danladi Salihu. The claimant alleged that Salihu's participation in both House of Assembly and governorship primaries constituted an unlawful double nomination. The court ruled that participating in multiple primaries is not a double nomination if the party submits the name to the Independent National Electoral Commission for only one position. The court ordered the claimant to pay N10 million in costs.

Separately, in Ado-Ekiti, Justice Babs Kuewumi dismissed a challenge to the candidacy of Toyin Okoro for the Ekiti Federal Constituency I House of Representatives seat. The plaintiff, Bayo Babalotin, claimed Okoro failed to resign from a public position before the primary. The court affirmed Okoro's candidacy, noting that Babalotin did not participate as an aspirant and therefore lacked the standing to challenge the primary outcome, in which Okoro defeated incumbent AVM Adeniyi Ojuawo.