The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday played a video showing the declaration of Dr Olumuyiwa Daramola as the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency of Ondo State.
The video was played following an application by Daramola’s lawyer, who asked the court to admit and play the footage showing the moment his client was declared winner of the party’s primary election.
The court granted the request, allowing the video to be played in open court.
The development forms part of Daramola’s legal challenge over the APC’s alleged substitution of his name as the party’s candidate for the federal constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The case was adjourned until October 19, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Dr Olumuyiwa Daramola emerged winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election conducted to select its candidate for Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency of Ondo State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC made the declaration in an affidavit filed before the court in response to a suit instituted by Daramola over the alleged substitution of his name with that of Hon. Okunjinmi John Odimayo as the APC candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election. The document was obtained by Starnews NG on Thursday after the court proceedings.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1482/2026, has the APC, INEC and Odimayo as defendants.
Daramola is challenging the alleged decision by the APC to forward Odimayo’s name to INEC despite his claim that he won the party’s direct primary election conducted on May 16, 2026.
INEC’s position is significant because the electoral commission said its officials were present at the disputed primary and recorded Daramola as the aspirant who secured the highest number of lawful votes cast.
The affidavit of facts was deposed to by Mohammed Ayuba, an Administrative Officer in INEC’s Litigation and Prosecution Department, on behalf of the commission.
According to INEC, it has constitutional and statutory powers to monitor the activities of political parties, including their conventions, congresses and primary elections conducted for the purpose of selecting candidates for elective offices.
The commission stated that the Electoral Act 2026 requires political parties to notify it at least 21 days before holding any convention, congress, conference or meeting organised for the purpose of electing party executives or nominating candidates for elective offices.
INEC further stated that the law empowers it to attend and monitor party primaries, with or without prior notice to political parties.
The commission said the APC notified and invited it to monitor its primary elections organised to select candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections across the country.
It said its officials consequently monitored the APC primary election for Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency on May 16, 2026.
The commission’s affidavit specifically identified Daramola as the winner of the exercise in its testimony filed before the court.
INEC stated: “That upon the conclusion of the said primary election, conducted by the 1st Defendant, the Plaintiff emerged as the winner, having scored the highest number of lawful votes cast on the 16th day of May, 2026.”
The electoral body also disclosed that the officials who monitored the primary submitted a written report on the exercise to the commission.
Copies of the monitoring report were attached to the affidavit and marked as Exhibits A1 and A2.
The evidence contained in the affidavit appears to support Daramola’s central contention that he won the APC primary but was subsequently replaced by another aspirant.
Also, the Chairman of the APC committee that conducted the May 16, 2026 House of Representatives primary elections in Ondo State has told the Federal High Court that Daramola won the Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency primary election conducted by the ruling party.
Starnews NG reports that Hon. Iboroma Dabibi Harry, who also served as the returning officer for the nine federal constituencies in the state, made the disclosure in a witness deposition filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The deposition was filed in the suit instituted by Daramola against the APC, INEC and Odimayo.
According to the court document, eight aspirants contested the APC primary for Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency. Harry said Daramola polled 6,547 votes to defeat Odimayo, who scored 827 votes.
The other candidates recorded the following votes: Olujimi Adekanle, 27; Temitope Iwagun, 74; Ikuyiminu Kehinde, 26; Omoniyi Adewale Duyile, 253; Bidemi Joshua Obayangba, 0; and Dele Omosehin, 623.
The committee chairman said that after the results were collated at the ward, local government and federal constituency levels, he declared Daramola the winner and duly returned him as the APC candidate.
“After the collation of the results at the Wards, Local Government and the Federal Constituency levels, I proceeded to declare Dr. Daramola Olumuyiwa Olumuyiwa, who had the highest votes of 6,547 in the said election, the winner and the person duly returned as the candidate of the APC for Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency of Ondo State,” he stated in his deposition before the court.
Harry said official result sheets from the 10 wards in Irele Local Government Area, 13 wards in Okitipupa Local Government Area, the two local government result sheets and the overall federal constituency result were attached to his deposition.
He said the result sheets were signed by the electoral officers appointed for the various levels and countersigned by him and the committee’s acting secretary, Barrister Chiedu Elemunoh.
He further stated that copies of the results were given to the aspirants or their agents where available, as well as INEC officials and security personnel present during the exercise.
Harry also disclosed that the committee issued a press release on the outcome of the primary across the nine federal constituencies and submitted its report on the election to the APC National Working Committee through the party’s National Chairman.
He, however, raised questions over another set of result sheets allegedly being circulated as the authentic results of Okitipupa/Irele federal constituency primary.
He told the court that the results allegedly certified by the APC National Organising Secretary were not genuine and did not reflect what transpired during the May 16 primary.
“I only countersigned and signed one set of result sheets for each level of the primary election of 16th May, 2026 for Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency, which are the results attached herewith to this affidavit,” Harry stated.
The witness said the deposition was made for official and record purposes.
Starnews NG can report that the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1482/2026, is before the Federal High Court in Abuja and centres on the disputed APC primary election and the nomination of the party’s candidate for Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency.
Daramola had approached the Federal High Court seeking judicial intervention over what he described as an unlawful attempt to substitute his name with that of Odimayo.
In the originating summons filed through his counsel, Remi Peter Olatubora, SAN, the plaintiff asked the court to determine whether the APC could lawfully nominate, select or forward to INEC the name of an aspirant who did not emerge as the winner of its direct primary.
He also asked the court to determine whether INEC could accept Odimayo’s name from the APC when, according to his case, Odimayo did not win the primary election.
Daramola claimed that the May 16 primary was conducted through designated ward centres within the federal constituency and that he secured the highest number of votes cast by delegates or party members participating in the exercise.
He consequently contended that his victory made him the rightful APC candidate for the constituency and that the party had no legal basis to replace his name with that of another aspirant.
The plaintiff relied on provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026 in challenging the alleged substitution.
He argued that Sections 65 of the Constitution and Sections 29, 84 and 86 of the Electoral Act imposed obligations on the APC regarding the nomination and submission of candidates who emerged from its primary election.
Daramola further alleged that any purported replacement of his name without giving him an opportunity to be heard would amount to a violation of his constitutional right to fair hearing guaranteed under Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The plaintiff is therefore asking the court to determine whether the APC can disregard the outcome of its primary election and present the name of an aspirant who did not emerge victorious.
Among the reliefs sought by Daramola is a declaration that only the aspirant who secured the highest number of votes at the APC primary can be nominated and presented to INEC as the party’s candidate for the Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency.
He is also asking the court to declare that the APC is constitutionally and statutorily bound to forward his name to INEC because he emerged winner of the May 16 primary.
Daramola further wants an order compelling the APC to submit his name and other particulars to INEC as its candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
He is also asking the court to restrain INEC from accepting Odimayo’s name, or the name of any other aspirant who did not win the primary, as the APC candidate for the constituency.
The plaintiff wants the defendants restrained from recognising or dealing with Odimayo as the APC candidate pending the final determination of the suit.
He is also seeking an order nullifying any certificate of return that may be issued to Odimayo if he eventually participates in the 2027 election and is declared the winner before the court determines the case.
Daramola has further asked the court to direct INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to him should any certificate issued to Odimayo be nullified.
The dispute has now placed the APC’s May 16, 2026 primary for the federal constituency at the centre of a legal battle ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The role of INEC in the case is particularly important because the commission was not merely informed of the primary but said its officials were physically present to monitor the exercise.
The commission’s affidavit also indicates that its officials prepared and submitted a report after monitoring the primary.
The report, which INEC attached to its court processes as Exhibits A1 and A2, could therefore become relevant to the court’s determination of what transpired during the primary and who actually emerged as the winner, Starnews NG reports.
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