Court Halts Ondo APC Congress Hours to Exercise

The Federal High Court in Akure on Monday stopped the All Progressives Congress from holding its planned state congress in Ondo State, less than a day before the exercise was to take place.

The order followed a suit filed by aggrieved members of the party who challenged earlier ward and local government congresses conducted in February and the proposed state congress scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

The case was brought before the court by Lawrence Adebayo and 7,427 other members of the APC. Their lawyer, Adedayo Adedeji, filed an ex parte application, informing the court that the matter required urgent attention.

The application asked the court to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission and the APC from proceeding with the congress until the dispute is resolved.

Justice Toyin Adegoke granted an interim injunction restraining INEC and the APC, including their officers and representatives, from recognising or validating the ward and local government congresses earlier held on February 18 and 21, 2026.

The order also stopped the party from conducting the planned state congress on March 3 or on any other date until the court hears and decides on the motion for interlocutory injunction.

The court further directed all parties to maintain the situation as it was before the February congresses took place. This means no further steps should be taken that could affect the outcome of the pending application before the court.

The dispute arose from complaints by members who are dissatisfied with how the earlier congresses were conducted.

They are asking the court to nullify those exercises and prevent the state congress from going ahead until their grievances are addressed.

With the ruling, the planned state congress cannot proceed for now. The court fixed March 26, 2026, for hearing of the substantive suit, where arguments from all sides will be considered before a final decision is made.