The Federal High Court in Abuja has set a new date to hear the legal challenge surrounding the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election in Delta South. Justice Mohammed Garba Umar announced that the hearing will take place on July 1, after the case was mentioned in court on Thursday.
The lawsuit, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/1094/2026, was initiated by Prince Michael Diden, who is seeking to overturn the outcome of the primary. The respondents include Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Diden alleges that he secured the highest number of votes during the May 18 direct primary election, which was conducted to choose the APC candidate for the 2027 senatorial race. He claims that the declared winner, Senator Thomas, manipulated the results and announced false figures to the public.
According to the court documents, the plaintiff argues that the APC’s National Working Committee had established clear guidelines for the announcement of results, requiring an official briefing in Abuja after all votes were collated. However, Thomas allegedly bypassed these rules by declaring himself the winner through media outlets immediately after the election.
Diden further contends that Thomas collaborated with associates to fabricate results, falsely stating that he won in all eight local government areas of Delta South. A video showing this false declaration has gone viral, the plaintiff claims. In contrast, Diden asserts that his own agents preserved the authentic ward-level results, showing that he defeated Thomas by a significant margin—96,893 votes to 31,918.
The plaintiff also highlighted that party leaders, stakeholders, and members in the senatorial district have submitted a formal petition to the APC national headquarters, rejecting the alleged fraudulent declaration. Additionally, Diden’s legal team has written to the party’s national chairman about the situation.
In his suit, Diden is seeking several reliefs, including a declaration that he is the rightful winner of the primary election. He also requests an order compelling the APC to forward his name to INEC as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election in Delta South, and an order for INEC to accept his candidacy.