By Sulayman Gobir
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to submit Uche Nwole’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for Imo East Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar, the court directed INEC to accept, enlist and publish Nwole’s name on the final list of candidates for the senatorial district.
The court also permanently restrained the NDC from nominating or submitting another candidate for the seat.
The judgment followed a suit Nwole filed against the NDC, INEC and Uchechukwu Onyeagucha, in which he challenged the party’s nomination process.
According to the judgment obtained by Arise News, Justice Umar held that Nwole emerged from the party’s direct primary election, which INEC monitored in accordance with Sections 84(1) and (2), and 86 of the Electoral Act 2026.
The judge said the NDC had conducted primaries for aspirants seeking its Imo East senatorial ticket and could not lawfully replace the outcome with a consensus arrangement.
He further ruled that Nwole had met all statutory requirements to participate in the primary election and emerge as the party’s candidate.
The court also barred INEC from accepting, listing or publishing the name of any other purported NDC candidate whose nomination resulted from a primary election that the commission neither conducted nor monitored, or a consensus arrangement that violated Sections 87(1) and (3) of the Electoral Act 2026.
Edited by Julian Osamoto
