ADC's Orette Sues INEC for ₦1bn Over Candidate Omission

Dr Austin Orette, the senatorial candidate for Delta South representing the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is seeking ₦1 billion in punitive damages from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) due to the omission of his name from the candidates' list for the January 16, 2027 election. Orette accused INEC of reckless conduct, asserting that this omission disrupted his campaign and violated his rights as the party's candidate.

He stated that he won the ADC primary election on May 22, 2026, with 10,950 votes and was the sole aspirant. Orette claimed that his nomination forms were submitted to the ADC's national secretariat for transmission to INEC, which amended its election timetable on July 12, 2026, extending the deadline for candidate submissions to July 14.

He alleged that the ADC submitted his name on that date, but it was missing from INEC's published list of candidates on September 12, 2026. This omission has adversely affected his campaign efforts, prompting him to suspend activities until the matter is resolved.

Orette is urging the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel INEC to recognize him as the ADC's candidate.