A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to produce documents relating to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Rivers State. The order follows an application by plaintiff Samuel Amatonjie, who seeks certified true copies of the APC membership register submitted to INEC on 20 April 2026 and a letter notifying the commission of the party’s planned primaries.
The court also issued a subpoena directing the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk to the National Assembly to provide certified copies of the House of Representatives Hansard covering the period from April 2026 to 2 June 2026. The documents are intended to support Amatonjie’s case, which challenges the eligibility of APC governorship candidate Kingsley Ogundu‑Chinda after his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
During the hearing, Justice Muhammed Turaki granted the applications after Amatonjie explained the importance of the documents. Counsel for the PDP, Paul Daudu, SAN, and counsel for Ogundu‑Chinda, Dike Udenna, complained that the plaintiff’s response to their preliminary objection had been served late and requested additional time to study the response and file their replies.
“The reason for the adjournment is that we have filed an objection of jurisdiction, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear this matter, which we had filed since 29 September. But it was only yesterday that we were served with his response to our objection in jurisdiction,” said Daudu, SAN, after the proceedings.
Amatonjie explained that the subpoenas were part of the steps he has taken to obtain documents he considers essential to his case. He also sought a court interpretation of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, together with Section 177(c), to determine whether Ogundu‑Chinda’s defection on 9 May 2026 qualifies him as a valid APC candidate.
Justice Turaki directed all parties to file and exchange the necessary court processes before adjourning the case until 10 December 2026 for a hearing. The case will resume on that date with the parties expected to present their arguments and the requested documents.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
