A suit has been filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to declare the Delta North Senatorial seat vacant following Senator Ned Nwoko’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The case was brought forward by a constituent and PDP member, Marvis Ossai, who is asking the court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye-election within 60 days of judgment.

Senator Nwoko, INEC, PDP, and the Senate have been listed as defendants in the legal action.

The plaintiff, in his submission to the court, requested several reliefs, including:

“An order of this Honourable Court, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC– the 2nd Defendant – to conduct a bye-election into the Delta North Senatorial District of the Nigerian Senate within sixty (60) days from the date of the delivery of Judgement herein.”

“An order of this Honourable Court declaring vacant the seat of Ned Munir Nwoko and cancelling his Certificate of Return issued to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission.”

“An order of this Honourable Court mandating the 1st Defendant, Nwoko, to refund into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, forthwith, all the salaries, emoluments and allowances received by him since January 2025 until the date of the final judgement in this matter.”

“An order disqualifying the 1st Defendant from standing election into any elective post under the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until and unless he complies with every term of the judgement in this suit.”

“An order mandating the 4th Defendant (Senate) to immediately give effect to the judgement of this Honourable Court.”

According to a five-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Ibrahim Isa, the plaintiff informed the court that Senator Nwoko resigned from the PDP on January 30, despite being elected on the party’s platform to serve until 2027.

The plaintiff, a resident of Oshimili North Local Government Area in Delta North, argued that Nwoko’s continued tenure in the Senate after defecting violated constitutional provisions.

“That since when the 1st Defendant decamped from the PDP up to the present moment of initiating the instant suit, there is never any division in the National Leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).”

“That the ideology of the 1st Defendant’s new party, All Progressives Congress (APC), to which the 1st Defendant now fully subscribes, does not bear any similarity or represent the political philosophy of the People’s Democratic Party [which is the basis upon which the Plaintiff resolved to cast his vote for and elected the Defendant in 2023.”

“That the conduct of the Defendant in defecting from the People’s Democratic Party to All Progressives Congress has dealt a major blow to the fortunes of the Plaintiff’s Party, the People’s Democratic Party.”

“That the conduct of the 1st Defendant being challenged herein if not condemned and upturned by this Honourable Court will continue to encourage political harlotry, legislative rascality and destroys the reasons for the laws made to regulate the defection of National Assembly Members by the Constitution of Nigeria itself.”

“That the continuous stay of the 1st Defendant at the Federal Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does no longer represent the Plaintiff’s interest or that of thousands of other members of our constituency who voted him in on the basis of our faith in our Party’s manifesto which they believed the 1st Defendant was capable of representing in the Federal Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“That the Defendant is now representing adverse interests of the people who fought the Plaintiff’s party tooth and nail [in the year 2023] to forestall the emergence of the 1st Defendant as the Member Representing DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT Federal Constituency on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).”

“That time is of the greatest essence in the instant application. It will be in the interest of justice for this Honourable Court to grant the prayers contained on the face of this Originating Summons.”

As at the time of filing this report, the case has not been assigned to a judge for hearing.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has indefinitely suspended Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, representing Kano South, along with three members of the House of Representatives from Kano State, over alleged anti-party activities.

The affected lawmakers include Abdullahi Sani Rogo (Rogo Federal Constituency), Alhaji Abdullahi Rurum (Rano/Kibiya Federal Constituency), and Ali Maadakin Gini (Dala Federal Constituency).

Announcing the suspension at a press briefing on Monday, NNPP Chairman in Kano, Hashimu Dungurawa, stated that the decision was taken due to the lawmakers’ alleged gross misconduct.

Dungurawa criticized the suspended members, noting that they had been given opportunities within the party after leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC), yet allegedly engaged in actions detrimental to the NNPP’s interests.

He emphasized that the party would not tolerate disloyalty, adding that necessary disciplinary measures had to be enforced to uphold party discipline.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will serve two terms as Nigeria’s leader, stating that he must be re-elected in the 2027 general elections by the “power of God.”

Speaking on Sunday at a stakeholders meeting on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Phase 1 at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, Umahi praised Tinubu’s leadership, particularly his commitment to long-term infrastructure projects.

“A man that has the courage to do what was dreamt 45 years back is the only man that will have the courage to finish it,” he said.

“I say we must vote for him in 2027. The President must be re-elected by the power of God. Those in support say ‘hi.’”

Umahi emphasized that Tinubu has been fair to the South-East since assuming office in 2023 and assured that the region would support his re-election bid.

He highlighted several federal projects in the South-East as proof of the administration’s commitment to national development.

“We have no reason to stop the work but we have every reason to do the right thing, and it is not peculiar to that job, that is what we are doing in all the projects,” he noted.

“We also have some jobs – Enugu to Abakaliki, we have Afikpo-Abia-Okigwe and of course one of the legacy projects of Mr President and so we are not sabotaging the President.”

The former Ebonyi State governor further stated that the South-East would rally behind Tinubu and ensure his re-election with overwhelming support.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is going to have 99 per cent of the votes of the South-East because he has been very nice to the people of the South-East. They will leave South-West to give us 99.99% (in) 2027,” he added.

Fifteen states in Nigeria, including Abia, Rivers, Zamfara, and Kano, failed to elect any female representatives in their state assemblies during the 2023 general election, raising fresh concerns about gender inclusion in governance.

This was revealed by social inclusion and governance expert, Olumide Olaniyan on Monday in Abuja during a technical session on the Seat Reservation for Women Bill and the public presentation of the National Women Leaders Forum’s operational guidelines.

The event, organized by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in collaboration with the National Women Leaders Forum of Political Parties in Nigeria, highlighted the continued underrepresentation of women in Nigerian politics.

Olaniyan noted that the affected states cut across all six geopolitical zones, listing others such as Osun, Imo, Yobe, Bauchi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Katsina, and Sokoto.

He lamented that despite women making up 49 percent of Nigeria’s population, the country ranks 180th out of 192 nations in women’s parliamentary representation.

Meanwhile, Nigerian women are planning to storm the National Assembly to demand explanations from Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the alleged harassment of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central.

Speaking at the event, former ActionAid Nigeria country director Ene Obi condemned the treatment of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, calling it unacceptable.

She warned that women would soon march to the National Assembly to demand justice.

The controversy erupted last week when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, chairperson of the Senate Committee on the Diaspora and Nongovernmental Organizations, protested the sudden relocation of her seat within the chamber.

Her refusal to move to the newly assigned seat led to a standoff with Senate President Akpabio, who declined to recognize her objections.

In response, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu appealed for calm, suggesting that the matter be handled through diplomatic channels.

Barr. Julius Abure, LP National Chairman, 

The Labour Party (LP) has refuted claims that it has zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to any particular region, contradicting earlier remarks by its National Chairman, Julius Abure, which suggested the South-East might retain the party’s backing.

Abure, while addressing party members at a South-East LP rally in Abuja, had reiterated the party’s previous commitment to supporting the region’s political aspirations. Reflecting on the 2023 election, he stated:

“I have no regrets that, in spite of all odds, we zoned the presidential ticket of our party to the South-East. We decided that we were going to clean the tears of the Igbo, and we powerfully and courageously did that in the 2023 general election.”

He also urged the Igbo to strengthen political alliances with other regions, pointing to the Yoruba bloc’s strategic realignments as an example of how to enhance electoral success in 2027.

However, in a subsequent statement, the party sought to clarify its position, insisting that no zoning arrangement had been made for the upcoming election.

The National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, emphasized that LP’s presidential candidate would emerge through a democratic and transparent process.

“The Labour Party has not and will not zone any of its positions to any geographical zone or individual,” the statement read.

It also acknowledged the significant role played by the South-East in the 2023 election but stressed that this did not automatically translate into a repeat endorsement in 2027.

This clarification has fueled speculation that the LP is adjusting its political strategy to maintain a broader national appeal, particularly in the North and South-West, where it seeks to expand its influence.

Analysts interpret the move as a tactical decision aimed at strengthening the party’s chances in the next general election.

Former LP National Treasurer Oluchi Oparah weighed in on the matter, critiquing Abure’s initial remarks for promoting an ethnic-based approach to the presidency.

Oparah argued that leadership should be determined by merit and competence rather than ethnic considerations.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Adolphus Wabara, has found himself at the center of controversy within his party following his public commendation of Abia State Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP).

Wabara, a former Senate President, has been accused of anti-party activities by the PDP’s Abia State Working Committee (SWC), which recently suspended him, citing his alleged endorsement of a second term for Governor Otti.

However, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) swiftly overruled the suspension, triggering a standoff between the state and national leadership.

Speaking at an 80th birthday celebration in Umuahia for PDP elder Dr. Emelike Okoro, Wabara reiterated his support for Otti, saying:

“Politics ends after campaigns and elections; governance should take centre stage. Even a blind man can see what is happening in Abia! I will continue to appreciate Governor Otti for the good works he is doing. Let them suspend me, expel me—I am first a citizen of Abia before being a PDP member.”

He also criticized the party leadership for targeting him, suggesting that their actions could extend to others.

“I have not mentioned the Labour Party; I have always mentioned Governor Alex Otti. We are all with you,” he declared.

Wabara further acknowledged that despite initial resistance from some within the PDP, Otti has been steering Abia State in a positive direction.

The celebrant, Okoro, also praised Otti’s leadership, describing it as a “breath of fresh air” for the state.