Nigerian Court Dismisses APC Lawsuit, Fines Plaintiff N20 Million

The Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a lawsuit filed by Fubara Dagogo, an All Progressives Congress member, who sought to void the election of the party's National Vice Chairman (South South). Dagogo alleged he was unlawfully excluded from the APC national convention despite paying for nomination forms and requested the nullification of the election results alongside N100 million in damages.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction, citing Section 83(5) of the Electoral Act 2026, which prohibits courts from entertaining matters pertaining to the internal affairs of political parties. The judge characterized the dispute over candidate nominations as non-justiciable, meaning it falls outside the court's authority to adjudicate.

The court struck out the suit entirely and imposed a total fine of N20 million, split evenly between Dagogo and his lawyer, Ogochukwu Onyema, with N10 million assessed against each. The ruling reinforces the legal principle that political parties' internal processes — including candidate selection and convention procedures — remain outside the scope of judicial intervention under current electoral law. The defendants in the case included APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, National Vice Chairman (South South) Hon Victor Giadom, and National Organising Secretary Sulaiman Muitamma.