Hope vs Rochas: The temporary miscarriage of justice will be addressed and overturned at the superior courts by Ambrose NwaogwugwuThere Is No Cause for AlarmThe APC conducted its primary on May 18, 2026, and declared the results.The APC forwarded its list of candidates to INEC on July 1, 2026, ahead of the July 10, 2026 deadline set for the closure of the portal and the submission of final candidate lists.Okorocha approached the court and filed his matter on August 13, 2026, clearly over 40 days after the APC submitted its list of candidates to INEC, and almost 90 days after the APC conducted the primary and declared the results.Meanwhile,Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) clearly states that every pre-election matter must be filed not later than 14 days after the date of the occurrence of the event, decision or action complained of in the suit.
The keywords here are:OCCURRENCE OF THE EVENT (May 18–19, 2026); andDECISION OR ACTION (the APC took the decision and action to forward its final list of candidates on July 1, 2026).So Okorocha coming to court on August 13, 2026, clearly over 40 days after the APC submitted its final list to INEC and almost 90 days after the primary was conducted and the results declared, is clearly and utterly STATUTE-BARRED. Nwaogwugwu is not a lawyer, but basic and elementary knowledge of the law says that this ruling is dead on arrival and cannot stand any basic legal scrutiny.For now, Okorocha and co. can enjoy their moment of temporary victory, because when we get to that bridge, we will cross it.- By Ambrose Nwaogwugwu
Joseph Akwagiobe is a media contributor from Cross River State, Nigeria, currently based in Abuja. He is a graduate of Microbiology and has earned several professional certifications across diverse fields, reflecting his commitment to continuous learning, professional growth, and excellence.