Court Sacks Ondo Rep as APC Candidate

The Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Mr. Timehin Adeleye as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency of Ondo State ahead of the 2027 general election and declared Mr. Abdugani Arobo as the party’s rightful candidate.

The judgment, delivered on Wednesday by Justice Peter Lifu, followed a suit filed by Arobo after the APC National Working Committee (NWC) submitted Adeleye’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s candidate despite the outcome of the primary election.

The court ruled that the APC failed to make a lawful return from its primary election and found that the evidence presented by the party contained several inconsistencies.

The dispute had earlier triggered protests by APC members and party leaders in Ondo State, who opposed the decision of the party’s National Working Committee to recognise Adeleye as the candidate.

In its judgment, the court held that Arobo secured the highest number of lawful votes during the APC primary election conducted on May 16, 2026, polling 7,959 votes in Owo Local Government Area and 2,583 votes in Ose Local Government Area.

Justice Lifu declared that Arobo is the only aspirant legally entitled to be recognised as the APC candidate for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election.

The court also ordered the APC to recognise and deal only with Arobo as the winner of the primary election and restrained the party from recognising or presenting any other person as its candidate for the constituency.

In addition, the court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reopen its nomination portal to enable the APC to upload Arobo’s name as its validly nominated candidate for the 2027 general election.

The ruling settles the legal dispute over the APC ticket for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, with the court affirming that Arobo emerged as the lawful winner of the party’s primary election.