FCT Poll: Supreme Court Declares Ishaku APC Candidate

The Supreme Court on Monday declared Joshua Ishaku as the valid candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2026 Bwari Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory, bringing an end to the dispute over the party’s ticket.

In a split decision of four to one, the apex court set aside the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which had recognised Haruna Audi as the party’s candidate.

The lead judgment, delivered by Justice Jamilu Yammama Tukur, resolved all issues in favour of Ishaku and restored the earlier dissenting opinion of Justice Okon Abang at the appellate court.

The case began after the APC primary election held on June 25, 2025, in Bwari Area Council. Ishaku had approached the Federal High Court to challenge the outcome that excluded him, but his suit was dismissed on the ground that it was filed outside the time allowed by law.

The Court of Appeal later upheld that decision in a majority ruling. However, one of the justices at the appellate court disagreed, holding that the matter deserved proper consideration.

On further appeal, the Supreme Court ruled that the lower courts were wrong to conclude that Ishaku’s case was statute-barred.

The justices held that the facts showed he was not given fair hearing and that his case could not be shut out on technical grounds.

The court found that the issue went beyond internal party matters and involved questions tied to constitutional rights, the Electoral Act and the party’s own guidelines.

The apex court also held that the rule requiring party members to first exhaust internal dispute resolution steps does not apply in every situation.

It stated that only a person who lost an election within the party is expected to follow those steps before heading to court, not someone who was declared winner and later displaced.

In reviewing the records, the Supreme Court agreed with the earlier dissent at the Court of Appeal that the cause of action could not have arisen until the name of another aspirant was forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

It held that time for filing a suit cannot begin to run based on an act that was not made known to the affected person. The court also faulted the lower court for failing to properly examine key documents presented in the case.

As a result of its findings, the Supreme Court allowed the appeal, nullified the majority decision of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the minority judgment delivered by Justice Abang.

It directed the relevant authorities to recognise and publish Ishaku’s name as the APC candidate for the forthcoming Bwari Area Council election.

With this ruling, the long-running disagreement within the party over its flag bearer for the council poll has been settled, and the judgment now stands as the final word on the matter.