A Federal High Court in Lagos has nullified the publication of Ibrahim Lukman as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency I in the 2027 general election, ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Olumuyiwa Owadara, winner of the party’s primary.
In a judgment delivered on October 20, Justice Akintayo Aluko held that Lukman did not participate in the party’s primary election held on May 29, where Owadara emerged winner.
The court ruled that INEC acted in violation of the Electoral Act 2026 by publishing Lukman’s name on August 1 despite its monitoring report confirming that Owadara scored the highest number of lawful votes cast at the primary.
Justice Aluko consequently set aside the publication of Lukman’s candidacy and directed INEC to immediately publish Owadara’s name and particulars as the party’s duly nominated candidate.
The court also awarded N1 million in costs against INEC and Lukman.
During the proceedings, the NDC told the court that it conducted no other primary election for the constituency and denied submitting Lukman’s name to the commission.
The party also accused INEC of imposing Lukman on it, arguing that the commission lacked the authority to determine its candidate outside the established nomination process.
Owadara, in his suit, maintained that he participated in the primary, emerged victorious and completed the necessary nomination forms for submission to INEC.
However, the electoral commission argued that it published the names uploaded to its platform by political parties, including the NDC.
Rejecting the explanation, Justice Aluko held that INEC’s claim was not supported by credible evidence.
The judge further ruled that there was no credible evidence that the NDC had invoked the statutory procedure for changing its candidate under Section 33 of the Electoral Act 2026 or conducted another primary election.
He held that INEC had no lawful justification for publishing Lukman’s name, having monitored the primary and obtained evidence of Owadara’s victory.
The court described the publication as a violation of Sections 29(1), 32(1) and 84(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which regulate candidate nominations and the monitoring of party primaries.
Justice Aluko concluded that Owadara had established his case with credible evidence, affirming that the primary election was conducted in accordance with the party’s guidelines, constitution and the Electoral Act.
