Court affirms Arobo as APC candidate for Owo/Ose House of Reps seat

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Abdulghani Arobo as the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat in Ondo State.

Arobo had dragged the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before the court via a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/26 over the party’s primary election held on May 16, 2026.

Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, upheld Arobo’s victory in the party’s primary election, having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast in the said poll.

“Upon the summation of all the votes cast at the 23 wards in Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in Ondo State during the APC primary election held on May 16, 2026, Arobo is entitled to be declared lawful winner and nominated to INEC as APC’s candidate for the House of Representatives for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency of Ondo State in the forthcoming general elections,” the court held.

The court ordered APC and INEC to, forthwith, recognize, accept, relate and deal with only Arobo as winner of the primary election with a total of 7,959, votes in Owo Local Government Area and 2,583 votes in Ose Local Government Area, respectively.

It set aside any other declaration or purported declaration, or return of nomination by the APC other than the name of the plaintiff.

Justice Lifu held that, based on the reasoning and findings by the court, all the five questions raised by the plaintiff for the determination of the court are resolved in his favour.

The judge ordered that the plaintiff’s name be forwarded to INEC as the candidate of the APC for the House of Representatives election for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency of Ondo State.

The court also ordered the defendants to deal only with the plaintiff as the winner of the said election, while restraining the defendants from recognizing or dealing with any other person apart from the plaintiff.

Justice Lifu, in the judgement, directed INEC to re-open its portal for the purpose of uploading of the plaintiff’s name as the lawful winner of the primary election for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency House of Representatives seat in Ondo state