By Ugochukwu Alaribe
UMUAHIA — An aspirant for the Abia South Senatorial District seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Erondu Uchenna Erondu Jnr, has dragged the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the alleged substitution of his name as the party’s candidate.
Erondu Jnr, who currently represents Obingwa West State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, is challenging the purported substitution of his name as the APC’s flag bearer for the 2027 senatorial election.
The suit followed reports that the APC had replaced him with Prince Paul Ikonne as its candidate for the senatorial district.
Erondu insists that he remains the duly elected candidate of the party, having emerged from the APC’s direct primary held on May 18, 2026.
The lawmaker said the outcome of the primary was upheld by the party’s Appeal Committee and further supported by an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Certified True Copy of the primary election report.
Erondu argued that his nomination could not lawfully be substituted, stressing that he had neither died nor voluntarily withdrawn from the race, while no court order had removed him as the APC’s candidate for Abia South Senatorial District.
Court documents sighted by Vanguard showed that Erondu instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1803/2026 at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, against the APC, INEC, Prince Paul Ikonne, Dr Nyerere Chinenye Anyim and Mrs Blessing Nwagba.
The matter is before Justice M. G. Umar.
In an order dated July 28, 2026, the court granted Erondu leave to serve the originating summons and accompanying processes on the third, fourth and fifth defendants by substituted means.
The order directed that the court processes be served by delivering them to a staff member or any person at the APC National Secretariat, located at 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, or by affixing them at the entrance gate of the premises.
The court held that such service would be deemed good and sufficient on the affected defendants.
The case was adjourned to September 9, 2026, for further proceedings.
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