A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has struck out a suit seeking to nullify the nomination of Toyin Okoro as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency 1 in the 2027 House of Representatives election.

Justice Babs Kuewumi struck out the suit, marked FHC/AD/CS/19/2026, filed by Babalotin Bayo against Okoro and three others, on the grounds that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to institute the action and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.

Bayo had approached the court seeking to invalidate the outcome of the APC primary election that produced Okoro as the party’s candidate for the federal constituency comprising Ikere, Ise-Orun and Ekiti South-West.

In his judgment, Justice Kuewumi described the plaintiff as a “meddlesome interloper” and a “busybody”, holding that he had no legal standing to challenge the conduct or outcome of the party’s primary.

The judge noted that Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act confer the statutory right to challenge a party primary on an aspirant who participated in the primary.

Justice Kuewumi further ruled that the Ekiti State chapter of the APC does not have a separate legal personality that would allow it to be sued independently of the party’s national body.

Consequently, the judge struck out the name of the APC Ekiti State chapter from the suit.

Okoro, an indigene of Ise-Ekiti, emerged as the APC candidate after defeating the incumbent lawmaker, AVM Rufus Ojuawo (retd.), in the party’s May 2026 primary. His emergence was subsequently confirmed by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Reacting to the judgment, Okoro’s lead counsel, Dr Femi Ogunlade, who appeared alongside Dr K.O. Francis, described the decision as a victory for the rule of law and internal party democracy.

Ogunlade said the judgment had reaffirmed that individuals could not assume constitutional rights that were not available to them.

“The court has come out clearly to re-affirm that no individual can confer constitutional rights upon themselves where none exists. The substratum of the plaintiff’s case was defective from the outset because he was never an aspirant in the primary election,” he said.

Also reacting, a lawyer and community leader from Ise-Ekiti, Adebayo Adeji, said the judgment had brought an end to the legal dispute surrounding Okoro’s candidacy.

Adeji said Okoro had strong support across the federal constituency, which comprises Ise-Orun, Ikere and Ekiti South-West Local Government Areas.

“The court has validated the choice of the people, and the decision shows that no individual can stand in the way of a moving political train,” he said.

The ruling leaves Okoro as the APC’s candidate for the constituency ahead of the 2027 elections.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that political parties that field candidates whose names are not contained in the membership registers submitted to the commission will not be allowed to participate in the 2027 elections.

INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this while speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme on Wednesday evening.

Haruna said such parties would also not be allowed to substitute affected candidates, stressing that parties should not benefit from violations of the law.

“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it,” he said, citing previous cases involving Zamfara and Plateau states.

According to him, INEC was expected to make a definite pronouncement on the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment by Tuesday next week, after obtaining legal advice on the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment.

Haruna said the commission had to exercise caution because forged copies of court judgments had been presented in the past.

He added that the implication of the decision could extend to governorship and legislative candidates, saying some political parties might be unable to field candidates if they failed to meet the legal requirements.

“All the candidates, all the way to the houses of assembly, we interviewed them. If their names are not on the party register, they were not members of the party at the time that they contested for those tickets,” he said.

Haruna also expressed concern over the use of threats during political campaigns, saying such conduct should worry political parties and Nigerians generally.

“Those kinds of things, even if it’s a minority, it’s a cause for concern, because nobody should be threatened at all,” he said.

Valiant FC midfielder Ifeanyi Ogbonnanya delivered a moment of brilliance when his club needed it most, producing a sensational free-kick and an energetic midfield performance to inspire the Brave Boys to their first victory of the 2026/27 Creative Championship League season.

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The talented midfielder emerged as the Matchday 4 Man of the Match after Valiant defeated VOE Football Academy 2-1, ending their wait for a league victory in a fiercely contested encounter.

Ogbonnanya wasted little time announcing his intentions, breaking the deadlock in the 12th minute with a beautifully curled free-kick from just outside the penalty area.

The early breakthrough gave Valiant renewed confidence, and Abdulkareem Jafar doubled their advantage in the 24th minute with a powerful strike from distance.

Although Samad Olutosin responded almost immediately for VOE, the Brave Boys held firm to secure three valuable points.

Beyond his spectacular goal, Ogbonnanya’s work rate, determination and ability to disrupt opposition attacks made him a commanding presence in midfield.

Proposed player reaction — subject to confirmation:

“I knew that free-kick was going in because I was confident when I stood over the ball. We needed this victory badly, and I wanted to do something special for my teammates. Winning Man of the Match is a great feeling, but helping Valiant get our first league win means even more to me.”

The recognition represents an encouraging moment for Ogbonnanya, whose combination of technical ability and defensive commitment proved decisive in turning a difficult start into a memorable afternoon.

For Valiant, the victory provides a foundation to build upon as they look to climb the TCC League standings.

For The Creative Championship, performances like Ogbonnanya’s underline the value of competitive football in giving emerging Nigerian talents opportunities to demonstrate their creativity, resilience and match-winning qualities.

And for Ifeanyi Ogbonnanya, one expertly executed free-kick has delivered much more than a goal — it has helped change Valiant’s season and added another achievement to his developing football career.