The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the selection of Oden Ewa as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Cross River Central Senatorial District. According to Punch, the court upheld preliminary objections filed by Ewa and two other defendants, effectively ending the legal battle initiated by Mary Ekpere. The suit had questioned the integrity of the primary election held on May 16, 2026, which resulted in Ewa’s victory.
Delivering the judgment on Friday, Justice M.G. Umar ruled that the case was statute-barred and therefore incompetent. The court determined that the subject matter concerned pre-primary screening processes, which fall under the internal democratic affairs of a political party rather than judicial review. Furthermore, the judge found that Ekpere lacked locus standi, or legal standing, to institute the action because she had not participated in the party’s primary election. The court also characterized the filing and maintenance of the suit as an abuse of court process.
Following the ruling, Chief Chikaosolu Ojukwu, SAN, counsel for Ewa, stated that the client had always maintained the suit lacked merit. He told Punch that the court had consigned the matter to the judicial abyss and advised the plaintiff to refrain from appealing, warning that substantial costs would be sought if an appeal proceeded. Ewa’s legal team emphasized that the dismissal confirmed the validity of the primary results.
Stakeholders within the APC in Cross River welcomed the judgment as a step toward unity ahead of the 2027 general elections. Chief Obeten Obeten, a party stakeholder, told Punch that the court’s decision affirmed Ewa as the duly elected representative. He urged party members to set aside differences and work together, noting that the election was only three months away. Another stakeholder, Ntufam Justin Agbor, added that the ruling provided further legal backing for Ewa’s emergence and indicated he was the people’s choice. He encouraged the electorate to vote for APC candidates, asserting Ewa’s capacity to represent the district in the National Assembly.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1096/2026, listed Ekpere as the plaintiff and Ewa alongside two others as defendants. The dismissal resolves the immediate legal dispute over the senatorial ticket, allowing the APC to proceed with its campaign preparations for the upcoming national polls.