Alex Enumah in Abuja
A witness in the suit against the May 18 primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Delta South Senatorial District, yesterday told a Federal High Court how the result of the election was allegedly manipulated in favour of the party’s candidate.
The witness, Prince Micheal Diden, who is also a senatorial aspirant, gave the narration while testifying in the suit he filed challenging the declaration of Senator Joel –Onowakpo Thomas as winner of the Delta South senatorial primary.
Meanwhile, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, has fixed July 20 for Senator Thomas to open his defence again the suit.
The Judge fixed the date for the incumbent Senator to open his defense, shortly after the witness testified on how the primary election process was allegedly manipulated and the results falsified leading to unlawful declaration.
Diden, a former Chairman of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), in his testimony, told the Judge how himself and three others participated in the May 18, 2026 APC senatorial election, which according to him was held peacefully.
He told the Court that he had agents in all the wards that constitute the eight local government areas of the Delta South Senatorial District who supplied him with the results of the election.
Speaking further, the former Chairman of Sapele Local Government Area alleged that Senator Thomas, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conspired and changed the results in favour of the 1st defendant.
He urged the Court to do justice to his case by reversing the alleged falsified results and uphold his own results.
Under cross examination by the 1st defendant’s lawyer, Mr Lukman Fagbemi, SAN, the witness admitted that the election was conducted by APC with procedure put in place to guide the conduct of the election.
When confronted with a result prepared by APC, he denied ever seeing anything called official results by the party.
He maintained that he was not shown any official results and that his two video recordings of the election will speak volumes and help the court to arrive at a just conclusion.
Habeeb Lawal, who stood for APC and Anosie Obi, who represents INEC also cross examined the plaintiff on his evidence.
Earlier, Justice Umar had admitted several exhibits tendered from the bar for and against the suit.
At the close of the plaintiff’s case, counsel for Senator Thomas prayed the court to allow him open his defence on July 20, since he would be out of the country for one week.
Due to no objection, Justice Umar adjourned the matter to July 20, for the senator to open his defence.
Diden in the suit marked: FHC/ ABJ/CS/1094/2026 is claiming he secured the highest number of votes cast at the primary election, and should be declared candidate of the APC for the Delta South Senatorial District election, slated for January next year.
He is among others asking the court to declare him winner of the May 18, Direct Primary election conducted for the selection of the APC’s candidate for the 2027 senatorial election in the district, on grounds that he scored the highest votes cast at the poll.
In the Writ of Summons filed on his behalf by his team of lawyers led by Mr Bankole Joel Akomolafe, SAN, the plaintiff accused the 1st defendant of manipulation and announcement of forged and fake results.
Diden in the statement of claim stated that the National Working Committee of the APC who organised the aforesaid Primary Election announced the established procedures for the announcement of the result of the said election, adding that the collation and announcement of results would be conducted exclusively in an official briefing at Abuja after the submission of all results.
He averred that contrary to the instructions the 1st defendant immediately ran to various media to pronounce himself the winner of the APC Direct Primary Election for the Delta South Senatorial District, Delta State held on Monday, May 18, 2026, thereby allegedly misinforming the public and particularly members of the Senatorial District of the Plaintiff.
“The 1st Defendant connived and colluded with his cohorts to write forged results where he falsely declare himself the winner of the election, he did not only publish the forged results of the 8 Local Government Areas under the Delta South Senatorial District, Delta State in the various media, he also recorded his cohorts publicly declaring the false result in a video that has gone viral to mislead the people contrary to what actually transpired on the day of election where the plaintiff defeated the 1st Defendant with a wide margin”, he claimed.
Plaintiff further averred that the 1st Defendant made the aforesaid representations fraudulently in that he knew they were false or were reckless, not caring that they were true or false notwithstanding the monitoring of the 3rd Defendant officials at the election.
“Contrary to the above declaration of the false results announced by the 1st Defendant in the viral video pleaded above, the Plaintiff through his agents in all the wards of the 8 Local Government Areas within the Delta South Senatorial District, Delta State have the authentic results of each ward intact in which the Plaintiff defeated the 1st Defendant with a wide margin scoring 96,893 (Ninety Six Thousand, Eight Hundred and Ninety Three) votes as against the 1st Defendant’s 31,918(Thirty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eighteen) votes respectively”, he said.
The plaintiff added that sequel to the above unequivocal and overwhelming victory he won at the poll the “leaders, stakeholders, elders, women, youths and registered members of the APC in the Senatorial District wrote a formal petition to the party’s national headquarters to denounce and reject the fraudulent declaration of the 1st Defendant as the winner of the election”.
He added that his lawyers had written a similar complaint “about the desperate manipulation and the announcement of fake results of Monday, May 18, 2026 election by the 1st Defendant to the National Chairman of the 2nd Defendant.
“The Plaintiff avers that the 1st Defendant by his actions has not only embarrassed all the contestants of the election but has also cast aspersion on the entire election process, unless this Honourable Court grants the reliefs of the Plaintiff and put the record straight for all observers”.
Among reliefs he is seeking from the court are; a declaration that the Plaintiff being the aspirant who scored the highest number of valid votes cast at the APC Primary Election for the Delta South Senatorial District, Delta State held on Monday, May 18, 2026 and having satisfied the requirements of the Constitution, Electoral Act, 2026 and the APC’s Direct Primaries Guidelines and Procedures, be declared the winner and he should be declared as the Candidate of the APC in the 2027 general elections of Delta South Senatorial District, Delta State in Nigeria.
He is also seeking an order directing the APC to immediately forward his name to INEC as the APC’s candidate for Delta South Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.
Diden is also praying for an order directing INEC to accept and/or receive his name from the APC as the party’s candidate in the 2017 senatorial election in Delta South Senatorial District.
