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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered by a Federal High Court in Lagos to correct its records and recognise the candidate who won the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primary election for Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency I ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The court’s directive followed a legal challenge over the appearance of Ibrahim Lukman’s name on INEC’s list of candidates instead of Olumuyiwa Owadara, who was declared the winner of the party’s primary election held on May 29, 2026.
In its judgment delivered on October 20, Justice Akintayo Aluko directed the electoral commission to remove Lukman’s details from its records and upload Owadara’s particulars as the party’s duly nominated candidate for the constituency.
The judge relied on evidence from INEC’s monitoring report, which identified Owadara as the aspirant who obtained the highest number of valid votes during the exercise. The court also considered the party’s position that no separate primary had been organised to produce another candidate.
INEC’s defence was that it published the information submitted by political parties through its nomination platform. However, the court found that the commission had not presented sufficient evidence to justify the disputed nomination.
The ruling also addressed an objection raised by Lukman concerning the court’s jurisdiction and the service of legal documents. Justice Aluko dismissed the objection after considering evidence that the court had authorised substituted service through WhatsApp.
As part of the judgment, INEC and Lukman were ordered to pay ₦1 million in costs. The decision centred on compliance with the legal procedures governing political party primaries and the submission of candidates’ names to the electoral commission.
Following the ruling, Owadara’s lawyer, Festus Ogun, reportedly wrote to INEC chairman on October 23, requesting the implementation of the judgment. The letter included a certified copy of the court’s decision for the commission’s attention.
