Constitutional lawyer Jirgba Terfa Jirgba, Esq., has labelled the Federal High Court (FHC) ruling that confirmed Abdulghani Arobo as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency seat in Ondo State as a concerning sign for some APC National Assembly hopefuls in Benue State who are aiming for reelection.
His comments came after the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered its judgment on Wednesday, August 5, affirming Arobo as the legitimate APC candidate for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency House of Representatives election.
Mr. Jirgba pointed out that the ruling underscores the idea that candidates who rightfully win their party primaries cannot be replaced at will. He cautioned that this judgment could have significant repercussions for Benue APC National Assembly members who reportedly lost their party primaries but were still put forward to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the party’s national leadership.
He described the situation as “a bad omen” for those whose victories seemed to stem from “Abuja” rather than the actual votes cast during the primary elections.
Justice Peter Lifu, who presided over the case, stated that Arobo legitimately won the APC primary election held on May 16, 2026, having received the highest number of valid votes in the constituency.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/26, was initiated by Arobo against the APC and INEC, challenging how the party managed the primary election results.
In the ruling, the court confirmed that after tallying the votes from the 23 wards in the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency, Arobo was declared the rightful winner of the primary and should be recognized and nominated by the APC as its candidate for the upcoming House of Representatives election.
Justice Lifu has ruled that the APC and INEC must recognize Arobo as the officially nominated candidate, as he secured 7,959 votes in Owo Local Government Area and 2,583 votes in Ose Local Government Area during the primary elections.
The court also invalidated any other declarations or nominations made by the APC regarding this constituency, affirming that Arobo received the highest legitimate votes in the primary election.
Additionally, the judge addressed all five issues presented for consideration in favour of the plaintiff, instructing that Arobo’s name be sent to INEC as the APC candidate for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency.
Moreover, the court has prohibited the APC and INEC from recognising or engaging with any other individual as the party’s candidate and has ordered INEC to reopen its nomination portal to include Arobo’s name promptly.
This ruling comes amid similar legal challenges surrounding the APC National Assembly primaries in Benue State, where some candidates, who were initially declared winners, have turned to the courts after claiming their names were replaced by the APC national leadership.
These dissatisfied candidates have already secured interim orders preventing both the APC and INEC from substituting their names. They are seeking court declarations to confirm them as the rightful winners of the primaries.
Jirgba emphasised that the Arobo ruling bolsters the legal standing of these candidates, asserting that courts have consistently upheld the rights of candidates who legitimately emerged from party primaries against unlawful substitutions.
