Court Sets November 19 Ruling in Bello Ticket Challenge

The Federal High Court in Abuja has set November 19, 2026, to rule on or deliver judgment in Momoh Obaro’s challenge to Yahaya Bello’s selection as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Kogi Central senatorial seat. Justice Inyang Ekwo reserved the matter after the parties presented their final arguments; the court has not ruled on who won the primary or whether Bello’s nomination is valid. Obaro is asking the court to recognize him as the lawful winner of the APC primary held on May 18, 2026, and order the party to forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission. He also seeks an order directing INEC to accept and recognize him as the party’s candidate. The APC, Bello and INEC are defendants in the suit and have urged the court to dismiss it. The central dispute is over the primary result and which votes were lawful. Obaro maintains that he received the highest number of lawful votes, while Bello’s court filings say he won. The returning officer’s announced tally, as reported in court accounts, gave Bello 72,399 votes, Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke 319 and Obaro 188.