The legal teams representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Benue State, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, and the party have urged the Federal High Court, Abuja, to dismiss the suit challenging Aondoakaa’s candidacy in the 2027 governorship election.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2175/2026, was instituted by Adagba Damian Iorhen against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP and Aondoakaa. It came up for hearing on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
At the proceedings, counsel to the three defendants raised preliminary objections challenging the competence of the suit.
INEC’s counsel, Kiga Zontong, Esq., adopted the commission’s preliminary objection and urged the court to strike out the suit for incompetence.
Similarly, counsel to Chief Aondoakaa, Prof. Anthony Ijohor, SAN, adopted the second defendant’s preliminary objection, while counsel to the PDP, C. T. Mue, Esq., adopted the party’s objection and urged the court to dismiss the suit in limine.
In response, counsel to the plaintiff, Alfred Iortyaver, Esq., adopted his written addresses opposing the three preliminary objections. Prof. Ijohor and Mue subsequently adopted their respective replies on points of law.
On the substantive suit, Iortyaver adopted the plaintiff’s originating summons, while INEC’s counsel informed the court that the commission had not filed a counter-affidavit or written address but would rely on the positions taken by the PDP and Aondoakaa.
Counsel to the PDP and Aondoakaa adopted their respective counter-affidavits and written addresses, urging the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety for lack of merit. The plaintiff’s counsel thereafter adopted his replies on points of law in response to the submissions of the second and third defendants.
Following the proceedings, the court adjourned the matter until November 28, 2026, for ruling and/or judgment.
Aondoakaa, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, is the PDP’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Benue State.
The case is separate from another suit challenging his candidacy, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2152/2026, in which the court had earlier reserved judgment for November 16, 2026.
Editorial note: I have corrected grammatical errors, improved sentence flow, standardised punctuation and refined the headline while preserving the substance of the report. Before publication, please confirm the adjourned date of November 28, 2026, and whether the court specifically fixed the matter for a ruling, judgment, or either, as these terms have distinct legal meanings.
