By Halima Abubakar
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed a suit seeking to nullify the recent national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ruling that the matter falls within the internal affairs of the political party.
Delivering judgment, Justice Joyce Abulmalik held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain issues relating to the conduct of the APC convention and nomination processes.
The judge stated that matters concerning the nomination of candidates and the sale of nomination forms by political parties are non-justiciable and outside the scope of judicial intervention.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/591/2026, was filed by an APC member, Fubara Dagogo, who alleged that he was unlawfully denied the opportunity to contest for the position of APC National Vice Chairman (South-South).
Justice Abulmalik upheld the preliminary objections raised by the defendants, which challenged the competence of the suit and the court’s jurisdiction to hear it.
The defendants in the matter included the APC, the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, National Vice Chairman (South-South), Victor Giadom, and National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Muitamma.
Relying on Section 83(6) of the Electoral Act 2026 and several judicial authorities, the court dismissed the suit and awarded a total cost of N20 million against the plaintiff and his counsel, Chief Sir O. A. U. Onyema.
The court ordered that the sum, awarded as N10 million each against the plaintiff and his lawyer, be paid in favour of the four defendants.
Dagogo had told the court that despite paying for his expression of interest and nomination forms, he was excluded from participating in the APC national convention election for the South-South position.
Among his requests, he sought an order nullifying any congress conducted for the office of National Vice Chairman (South-South) without his participation.
He also asked the court to declare that the APC payment acknowledgement receipt issued to him on March 13 entitled him to the nomination and expression of interest forms for the contest.
In addition, the plaintiff demanded N100 million in damages for what he described as embarrassment, discomfort and mental torture caused by his alleged exclusion from the process.
However, the court declined all the reliefs sought and dismissed the case in its entirety.
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