Flagbearer crisis rocks Okigwe Zone APC over Araraume, Ndubueze claims
— Party members remain confused as campaign kicks off August 19
By Jotham Emenyonu
Confusion appears to be deepening within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Okigwe Zone over who will ultimately fly the party’s flag for the Imo North Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, as the legal battle between former Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and the incumbent senator, Patrick Chiwuba Ndubueze, remains unresolved.
The uncertainty is coming at a critical stage of preparations for the general election, with political activities expected to gather momentum from August 19.
At the centre of the controversy are Araraume and Ndubueze, both of whom participated in the process for the APC senatorial ticket for Imo North, otherwise known as Okigwe Zone.
The controversy dates back to the APC senatorial primary held in May 2026.
Ahead of the exercise, reports had emerged that Ndubueze had been adopted as a consensus candidate following the withdrawal of some aspirants. Araraume, however, publicly rejected the purported consensus arrangement, insisting that he was neither consulted nor part of any agreement to concede the ticket to Ndubueze.
The primary subsequently went ahead, with the APC leadership in Imo State declaring Ndubueze winner. The party maintained that Ndubueze won overwhelmingly across the 64 wards of the senatorial district, while Araraume finished behind him.
However, the controversy did not end with the primary.
The dispute subsequently shifted to the national leadership of the party and eventually to the courts following conflicting developments surrounding the name submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the APC candidate.
Araraume has since approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1569/2026, challenging what he described as his unlawful substitution as the APC candidate for Imo North.
The defendants in the suit are the All Progressives Congress, Senator Patrick Chiwuba Ndubueze and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In his case, Araraume contends that his name had been forwarded to INEC on June 29, 2026, following a decision of the APC Appeal Committee which, according to his court processes, was subsequently ratified by the party’s National Working Committee.
He is challenging the subsequent forwarding and uploading of Ndubueze’s nomination documents on the INEC portal on July 11, 2026.
Araraume is consequently asking the Federal High Court to determine whether the replacement of his name with that of Ndubueze amounted to an unlawful substitution under the Electoral Act 2026.
Among other reliefs, the former senator is asking the court to direct INEC to recognise and publish his name as the APC candidate for Imo North Senatorial District. He is equally seeking an injunction restraining Ndubueze from parading himself as the party’s candidate and an order setting aside the uploading of Ndubueze’s name on the INEC portal.
The case took another twist during proceedings when two Senior Advocates separately appeared claiming to have been briefed to represent the APC.
The development prompted Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to summon the APC National Legal Adviser, Murtala Aliyu Kankia, to clarify who had actually been authorised by the party to represent it in the litigation.
Significantly, the court also directed all the parties to refrain from taking any action capable of rendering the subject matter of the case nugatory. INEC was specifically directed not to take any step that could destroy the subject matter of the litigation pending its determination.
The development has further complicated the political situation in Okigwe Zone, particularly among APC members and supporters who are looking forward to the commencement of active campaigns.
As things stand, however, available court records do not show that Araraume has been declared the APC candidate by a final judgment, nor has the Federal High Court delivered a final judgment affirming Ndubueze against Araraume’s challenge.
What is factually established at the moment is that Ndubueze’s name was uploaded by INEC on July 11 as the APC candidate, while Araraume is before the Federal High Court challenging that action and asking the court to compel INEC to recognise him instead.
The distinction is significant because the case remains a live pre-election dispute, and the ultimate legal status of the ticket will depend on the determination of the court and any subsequent appellate proceedings.
Before the litigation, the Imo State chapter of the APC had publicly maintained that Ndubueze emerged victorious from the May primary. The party rejected reports suggesting that Araraume had won the primary, insisting that the exercise produced Ndubueze as its standard-bearer.
Araraume, on the other hand, is relying on what he says was the decision of the APC Appeal Committee and its ratification by the National Working Committee to argue that his name was validly forwarded to INEC before the subsequent submission of Ndubueze’s name.
These conflicting positions have left the final question of the APC ticket before the court.
For party members in Okigwe Zone, the situation is creating political uncertainty as preparations intensify for the election.
With campaign activities kicking off on August 19, attention is expected to remain firmly fixed on the Federal High Court in Abuja, as both camps await judicial clarification on the contentious ticket.
Until the court determines the substantive questions before it, Ndubueze remains the name reported as uploaded on INEC’s portal for the APC ticket, but that candidature is under an active legal challenge by Araraume.
The unfolding legal battle is therefore expected to have significant implications for the APC’s campaign machinery in Okigwe Zone and could ultimately determine who carries the ruling party’s banner in the Imo North Senatorial election.
