An aggrieved political aspirant, Amb. Fubara Dagogo, has filed a 100 million naira suit against the All Progressives Congress and top party officials, claiming he was unfairly stopped from contesting for the party’s National Vice Chairman for the South South region.
Dagogo asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to decide whether the APC could hold a legitimate zonal congress for South South while excluding him, despite having paid for and been cleared to collect his expression of interest and nomination forms.
He named APC and its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, as the first two defendants, while the current National Vice Chairman, South South, Hon Victor Giadom, and the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Muitamma, were listed as third and fourth defendants.
The case, originally scheduled for hearing on Friday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, could not go ahead because the judge was absent. It has now been adjourned to March 30 for mention.
Dagogo, through his lawyer Chief Ogochukwu Onyema, is seeking six reliefs, including a declaration that he should be issued the necessary forms, a stop to the planned South South zonal congress until he can participate, a nullification of any election results held without him, and 100 million naira in general damages for embarrassment and mental distress.
Dagogo claims he paid 100,000 naira for the expression of interest form and 5 million naira for the nomination form on March 13, but was denied the forms by the sitting vice chairman, who allegedly feared losing his position. His attempts to resolve the issue internally with the party produced no response.
The APC, through its lawyer Kayode Okunade, asked the court to dismiss the suit, arguing it concerns internal party matters that the court cannot interfere with, that Dagogo was not officially recognised as an aspirant, and that he failed to exhaust internal dispute mechanisms.
Dagogo’s lawyer countered that illegal and unfair party processes are justiciable and should be corrected by the court, citing previous legal precedents. He urged the court to dismiss APC’s objection and hear the case on its merits.
