Ekiti APC guber aspirant challenges disqualification at Appeal Court
A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Abimbola Olajumoke Olawunmi, has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to challenge her disqualification from the party’s
A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Abimbola Olajumoke Olawunmi, has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to challenge her disqualification from the party’s nomination process.
The Federal High Court had earlier dismissed her suit in a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, on the grounds that it was statute-barred.
The court held that the case, being a pre-election matter, ought to have been filed within 14 days of the alleged disqualification, noting that the suit was filed after more than 27 days.
In a Notice of Appeal filed against the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Biodun Oyebanji, Olawunmi is seeking to overturn the April 15, 2026 judgment.
Through her counsel, Ayotunde Ogunleye (SAN), she argued that the trial court erred in law by dismissing the case after declining jurisdiction, instead of striking it out, a decision she said led to a miscarriage of justice.
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She urged the appellate court to invoke its powers under Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act, 2021, to assume jurisdiction and determine the substantive issues, describing the matter as a pre-election dispute requiring urgent resolution.
Olawunmi’s appeal follows her disqualification by the APC at its 179th National Working Committee meeting held on October 9, 2025.
The party had cited her financial standing and the omission of her name from its revalidated membership register as reasons for her exclusion from the governorship primary conducted on October 27, 2025.
However, she maintained that her disqualification contravened Section 84(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which outline the qualifications for contesting the office of a state governor.
She is asking the Court of Appeal to declare her exclusion unlawful and invalidate all actions arising from the decision, including the outcome of the primary that produced the party’s candidate.
Among the reliefs sought are orders setting aside the APC’s decision to disqualify her, nullifying the October 27, 2025 governorship primary, restraining the party from excluding her from future nomination processes, and directing it to conduct a fresh primary.
She also urged the court to compel INEC to disqualify candidates who emerged from the disputed primary pending the conduct of a new exercise.
