NEWS
2027: Erondu Jr. Drags APC, Ikonne, Others to Court Over Alleged Substitution of Abia South Senatorial Ticket
Erondu Uchenna Erondu Jnr, the embattled All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for the Abia South Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general election, has taken his party and other defendants to the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged substitution of his name on the party’s senatorial ticket.
The legal action followed reports that the APC had replaced Erondu with Prince Paul Ikonne as its candidate for the Abia South Senatorial District.
Erondu has rejected the reported substitution, insisting that he remains the duly elected candidate of the APC after emerging victorious from the party’s direct primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
According to Erondu, the outcome of the primary was subsequently upheld by the APC Appeal Committee and further supported by a Certified True Copy of the primary election report issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Court documents indicate that Erondu instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1803/2026 at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.
The defendants in the suit are the APC, INEC, Prince Paul Ikonne, Nyerere Chinenye Anyim and Hon. Dr. Blessing Nwagba.
The matter is currently before Justice M. G. Umar.
In an order dated July 28, 2026, the court granted Erondu permission to serve the originating summons and other accompanying court processes on the third, fourth and fifth defendants through substituted means.
Under the order, the documents may be served by delivering them to a staff member or any person at the APC National Secretariat at 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, Abuja. Alternatively, the documents may be affixed to the entrance gate of the premises.
The court ruled that such service would constitute valid and sufficient service on the affected defendants.
The case has been adjourned until September 9, 2026, when further proceedings are expected to take place.
Erondu is challenging the reported substitution on the grounds that there is no legal basis for removing him as the party’s candidate. He maintains that he has neither died nor voluntarily withdrawn from the race and that no court order has nullified his emergence from the May 18 primary.
The development has added another legal dimension to the emerging political contest for the Abia South Senatorial District, with the dispute now before the Federal High Court for determination.