Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri has upheld the nullification of the 2024 ward and local government congresses of the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dealing a major blow to those who conducted the disputed primaries.
In a judgment delivered on March 30, 2026, Justice Festus Ntong dismissed an appeal challenging the earlier ruling of the Abia State High Court, Bende Judicial Division, which voided the exercises over breaches of due process.
The appellate court held that the appeal lacked merit and consequently affirmed the decision of Justice C. Okoroafor in Suit No. HB/5/2024.
The case arose from a suit filed by Enyinnaya Ogbu and two others against former state PDP chairman, Hon. Alwell Asiforo Okere, and eight others, over the conduct of parallel primaries and the submission of candidates for the 2024 local government elections.
The High Court had declared the processes unlawful, citing disobedience to subsisting court orders, and nullified the outcomes.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the defendants approached the appellate court, raising issues bordering on jurisdiction, competence, and the locus standi of the plaintiffs.
However, the court resolved all the issues against them and dismissed the appeal.
The judgment effectively reinforces the earlier nullification and casts uncertainty over candidates who emerged from the invalidated primaries.
Reacting, Ogbu welcomed the ruling as a triumph for the rule of law, while his counsel, Oliver Amuzie, described the judgment as erudite and well-considered.
In its reaction, the Abia PDP faction led by Elder Abraham Amah distanced itself from the case, insisting the ruling does not affect its leadership, as the matter concerning the state congress that produced it remains pending in court.
Meanwhile, the Kabiru Turaki faction had earlier appointed Ikpegbu Emeka-Yellow as chairman of a caretaker committee to oversee party affairs in the state.
