A fresh legal battle has erupted over the Enugu North Senatorial District ticket of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
The development comes as Bishop Ossai Okwudili, popular known as Oscar, is asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to nullify the alleged substitution of his name with that of Rt. Hon. Asadu Patrick Oziokoja.
Ossai, in an Originating Summons dated August 5, 2026, joined the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the NDC and Asadu as defendants.
He is challenging the submission and uploading of Asadu’s name as the NDC candidate for the Enugu North senatorial election scheduled for the 2027 general election.
The plaintiff claimed that he participated in the NDC primary held on May 29, 2026, and emerged with the highest number of votes, making him the rightful winner of the exercise.
According to him, he only discovered the alleged substitution after obtaining a Certified True Copy of candidate information uploaded to INEC on July 23, 2026, which contained Asadu’s name instead of his.
Ossai is asking the court to determine whether INEC can lawfully accept and publish the name of a candidate other than the person who emerged winner of a party primary, particularly where the primary was allegedly conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act 2026, the party’s guidelines and constitution.
He is also challenging the alleged existence of different nomination processes for the senatorial ticket and wants the court to determine whether NDC officials could submit another aspirant’s name after his emergence as winner of the May 29 primary.
The plaintiff further relied on an affidavit allegedly filed by the NDC in an earlier suit, which he said recognised him as the winner of the primary.
Among the reliefs sought, Ossai is asking the court to declare him the lawful candidate of the NDC for Enugu North Senatorial District, having participated in the primary and secured the highest number of votes.
He is also seeking an order compelling the NDC to submit his nomination documents and relevant electoral forms to INEC for upload and publication.
Ossai equally wants the court to set aside the alleged submission or uploading of Asadu’s name and nomination documents for the senatorial seat.
He is further seeking an order restraining the defendants from recognising or dealing with Asadu, or any other person, as the NDC candidate for Enugu North pending the determination of the suit.
The suit, filed by F. M. Nworah of Bloom Lex Legal Practice, Abuja, is anchored on provisions of the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2026 and the Constitution of the NDC.
It also references earlier cases, including suits marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1249/2026 and FHC/ABJ/CS/1254/2026, which Ossai said support his claim to the party’s ticket.
The latest case comes amid an earlier legal challenge to Ossai’s emergence as the NDC candidate for the district.
Dr. Vincent Obetta had previously approached the Federal High Court challenging Ossai’s emergence from the May 29 primary.
However, in its counter-affidavit in that case, the NDC maintained that Ossai won the primary after participating in all stages of the process and securing the highest number of valid votes.
The party said the primary was duly organised and supervised by its National Working Committee through a properly constituted electoral committee, in line with its constitution, electoral guidelines and the Electoral Act.
The NDC also stated that INEC was given 21 days’ notice of the primary and urged the court to dismiss or strike out Obetta’s suit.
Reacting to the latest development, Ossai questioned why the NDC leadership would allegedly embark on what he described as a “ridiculous substitution” despite its earlier position before a competent court that he won the primary.
He expressed confidence that the judiciary, which he described as the “last hope of the common man,” would deliver justice in the matter.
The court has given the defendants seven days from the date of service of the originating summons, inclusive of the day of service, to enter appearance. They are also required under the 2026 Practice Direction to file their counter-affidavit within 10 days.
The suit is expected to determine the competing claims over the NDC’s Enugu North Senatorial District ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ossai drags INEC, NDC, Asadu to court over Enugu North Senate ticket