Legborsi Nwiabu has dragged the African Democratic Congress to the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, claiming the party locked him out of its primary election for the Rivers State House of Assembly seat in Khana Constituency I.
The court also named two other respondents: Bright Nulee, the ADC's declared candidate for the 2027 general election, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
When the case was heard on Friday, the ADC's lawyer, Emenike Ebete, told the judge that a committee had been formed to sort out problems from the disputed primary. He asked the court to allow both sides to resolve the matter outside the courtroom.
The lawyers for Nulee and INEC didn't object to this request. But Nwiabu's counsel, Felix Beragbara, rejected it, saying his client wasn't told about any committee.
Justice Muhammed Turaki approved the out-of-court settlement plan and set August 12, 2026, as the next court date. The judge said he wanted a report on whether the parties had resolved their differences or would need a full hearing.
Outside the courtroom, Beragbara spoke to reporters about why his client went to court. He said Nwiabu remained ready to return if the committee failed to deliver justice.
"My client was cheated out of the primaries of his party," Beragbara told journalists. The primary was supposed to hold on May 21, 2026, alongside elections conducted by almost all other political parties nationwide.
Nwiabu was an aspirant seeking the ADC's ticket for the House of Assembly seat representing Khana Constituency I in Khana Local Government Area. The election couldn't happen on May 21, so it was rescheduled to May 22, 2026, according to the lawyer.
Nwiabu mobilised his supporters and deployed field agents to all voting centres across the 11 wards that make up the constituency. He and his backers waited from early morning when accreditation should have started until nightfall.
"They did not see a single ADC official who came to conduct the election," Beragbara said. Neither did they spot any monitoring officer from INEC at any of the centres.
The ADC never held the primary, the lawyer argued. Nwiabu then petitioned the party's appeals committee, requesting another election so the ADC could field a legitimate candidate.
The appeals committee ignored his complaint. Instead, the party declared Nulee as its candidate and submitted his name to INEC without conducting any election, Beragbara told reporters.
