AKURE, NIGERIA — The calm currently settling over the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) is about to be shattered as the Federal High Court schedules critical hearing dates to determine the authentic candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections.
While a cross-section of the electorate and exhausted party members recently lost hope following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) publication of candidates and their particulars, Starnews NG can authoritatively report that the judicial battleground is just heating up. The real struggle for the soul of the party’s tickets has swiftly moved from chaotic political arenas to the regulated courtrooms of Abuja and Akure.
The current turmoil traces its roots back to a bitter internal feud between loyalists of Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the APC National Working Committee (NWC). Following the conclusion of the democratic and INEC-monitored primary elections within the state, the APC NWC allegedly moved to substitute the names of the actual primary winners, replacing them with alternative, hand-picked choices.
This sparked immediate outrage across the state, prompting aggrieved party members to stage intense protests in critical constituencies, including the state capital and Ondo East/Ondo West, over what they termed “imposed candidates.”
While backers of the substituted candidates argue in favour of the doctrine of party supremacy, claiming that the national headquarters holds the ultimate constitutional right to determine final flagbearers, the displaced aspirants maintain that the NWC’s actions directly violate the 2022 Electoral Act as amended and subvert internal democracy.
Consequently, the aggrieved winners launched a multi-front legal campaign at the Federal High Court in Abuja to overturn the list before the statutory 180-day pre-election litigation window closes.
When INEC recently uploaded the names and particulars of the NWC-backed candidates to its official portal, a wave of resignation swept through the state. Loyalists of the displaced aspirants began to give up, mistakenly believing that the inclusion of alternative names on the official list marked the end of the road. However, sources close to the legal teams remind the electorate that an INEC publication is merely an administrative checkpoint, not a permanent judicial validation.
Under Nigerian electoral law, INEC is mandated to publish whichever names are transmitted to it by a political party’s National Secretariat before the statutory deadline. This administrative list remains entirely vulnerable to being dismantled and rewritten by a federal judicial veto.
Official Court Hearing Dates:
Starnews NG has exclusively gathered the precise breakdown of the upcoming legal showdowns, revealing that multiple cases are set for major movement this August and September:
- Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency: The high-stakes legal battle between Olumuyiwa Daramola and Jimi Odimayo has been officially slated for hearing on August 12 at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
- Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency: The suit pitting Oyerinmade Matthew against Adefiranye Festus Ayodele is also locked in for hearing on August 12 in the same court in Abuja.
- Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency: The case of Ondo State former Commissioner Razaq Obe versus Festus Akingbaso is scheduled to be heard on August 14 in Abuja.
- Owo/Ose Federal Constituency: The litigation involving Engr. Kayode Ijalana against Hon. Oluwatimehin Adelegbe will be heard at the Federal High Court in Akure on September 28.
- Ondo North Senatorial District: The suit filed by Gbenga Elegbeleye is actively in motion, though an exact hearing date has not yet been extracted from the court registrar.
Beyond the scheduled dates, Starnews NG has learned of significant strategic shifts and changes in the ranks of the plaintiffs. Sources close to the judiciary indicate that the cases of Leke Akingboye against Donald Ojogo (Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency) and Abiola Makinde against Michael Olamidotun (Ondo West/East Federal Constituency) do not yet have dates assigned, as both cases are highly likely to be transferred from Abuja to the Federal High Court in Akure upon request.
A Surrender in Ondo Central: In a striking twist, Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti (Ondo Central Senatorial Aspirant) did not approach the court. Sources confirm he has accepted his fate and has since moved on, putting the past behind him following his reappointment by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), effectively pulling him out of the judicial warfare.
With critical hearings commencing in less than two weeks in Abuja and moving down to Akure by September, Starnews NG reports that the legal foundations of several Ondo APC tickets remain precarious. The upcoming rulings will definitively outline whether party supremacy can legally override the primary votes cast by local party members.
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