By Our Reporter 
The Federal High Court sitting in Akure, has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from recognising or proceeding with the party’s ward, local government and state congresses in Ondo State, pending the determination of a substantive motion before it.

In an order made on Monday, Justice T.B. Adegoke granted an interim injunction following an ex parte application filed by nine applicants led by Lawrence Oladimeji Adebayo.

The applicants stated that they were acting for themselves and on behalf of 7,427 members of the APC in Ondo State who were allegedly excluded from the 2026 congresses of the party.

The suit, marked FHC/AK/CS/25/2026, lists INEC as the first respondent and the APC as the second respondent.

According to the enrolled order sighted by our correspondent, the court restrained INEC, its officers, agents, servants and privies from acknowledging, accepting, recognising, giving effect to, or in any manner validating the ward and local government congresses purportedly conducted by the APC on 18 and 21 February 2026 in Ondo State.

The court also restrained the APC, its officers and representatives from conducting, holding, proceeding with or concluding any state congress scheduled for March 3, 2026 or any other date, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

Justice Adegoke further directed both respondents to maintain the status quo ante bellum, the situation as it existed before the conduct of the disputed ward and local government congresses, and to refrain from taking any further steps capable of prejudicing the hearing and determination of the substantive application.

The interim orders followed the court’s consideration of an affidavit in support of the motion ex parte, deposed to by Adebayo, who identified himself as a member of the party from Igbatoro Ward in Akure North Local Government Area.

The applicants are challenging what they described as their exclusion and irregularities in the conduct of the congresses.

The development introduces fresh uncertainty into the internal processes of the ruling party in Ondo State, as the state congress, a critical stage in the emergence of party executives, now stands suspended by judicial order.

Nigerian Monitor gathered from legal observers that an interim injunction granted ex parte is a temporary measure intended to preserve the subject matter of litigation pending a full hearing where all parties will be heard.

The matter is expected to return to court for hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction, which will determine whether the restraining orders will subsist pending the determination of the substantive suit.

As of press time, neither INEC nor the APC had issued an official reaction to the court’s decision.