Court strikes out suit challenging APC candidate for Imo federal constituency

A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit by House of Representatives member Miriam Onuoha challenging Uchenna Agasu’s recognition as the All Progressives Congress candidate for an Imo federal constituency in the 2027 election.

Justice Salim Ibrahim upheld a preliminary objection filed by Agasu and ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case. The judge said another court of coordinate jurisdiction had already determined a similar suit and described the new proceedings as “an abuse of court process.”

Onuoha, who chairs the House Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund, filed the case against the APC, Agasu and the Independent National Electoral Commission. She sought an order setting aside INEC’s upload of Agasu’s name on July 11 as the party’s candidate for the Isiala, Mbano, Okigwe and Onuimo Federal Constituency. She also asked the court to direct INEC to upload her name and restrain Agasu from presenting himself as the party’s candidate.

Agasu argued that an Owerri court had delivered judgment in a similar case on June 25 and that the decision remained in force. He said the Abuja proceedings effectively invited the court to rehear a matter already decided by another judge of the same court. INEC said political parties upload candidate details through access provided by the commission, and confirmed that the APC had uploaded Agasu’s name, which remained on the portal when the case was heard.

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an abuse of court process