The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a pre-election suit filed by Joshua Ishaku challenging the nomination of Haruna Audi as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2026 Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.
Delivering judgment, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the suit was statute-barred, having been filed 24 days after the cause of action arose — contrary to the 14-day limit prescribed under Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution.
The court ruled that Ishaku’s claim of late awareness was immaterial, noting that time began to run from June 30, when the APC National Working Committee (NWC) ratified Mr. Audi’s nomination and forwarded his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Justice Nwite further observed that Ishaku failed to exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism, having ignored an invitation from the party’s appeal committee.
Consequently, the court dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction, affirming Haruna Audi as the authentic APC candidate for the 2026 Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.
