A Nigerian-American family medicine physician, author and politician, Dr Austin Orette, has described the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as reckless.
“There was no reason for such ill-treatment against me”
Orette spoke on Sunday at the Asaba Airport shortly after arriving from Abuja.
He wants the Federal High Court, Abuja to punish INEC for intentional misconduct and extreme recklessness.
“My political opponents are going around telling the electorate that I am not contesting the forthcoming Delta South Senatorial District election scheduled to hold on the 16th of January 2027. I am particularly in pain as I have spent so much time and resources during the period of the primary elections”
Orette is seeking punitive damages in the sum of ₦1billion from the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) over the omission of his name in the 2027 Delta South Senatorial District election.
“My right as the ADC’s candidate for the Delta South Senatorial District election for the 2027 general election has been violated by the commission’s decision not to publish my name as the candidate of the ADC for the Delta South Senatorial District election scheduled to hold on the 16th of January 2027”
INEC, according to Orette ought to be neutral but the commission is now a participant.
“Since the commencement of campaign activities on the 19th of August 2026, I have visited six of the eight local government areas of the Delta South Senatorial District soliciting votes from the voters across the Delta South Senatorial District of Delta State. I have spent time, energy and material resources that cannot be quantified since I emerged the candidate of the ADC for the Delta South Senatorial District election”
He accused the commission of making a ridicule of the system and attempting to destroy the country’s democracy.
“The action of INEC in not publishing my name in the final list of candidates for the Delta South Senatorial District election is adversely affecting my campaigns. I have had to put my campaign on hold as a result of INEC’s decision not to publish my name in the final list of candidates for the Delta South Senatorial District election. INEC has by the non-publication of my name as a candidate in the forthcoming Delta South Senatorial District election scheduled to hold in 2026 adversely impacts my participation in the said election”
Orette narrated how the journey started: “In preparation for the forthcoming 2027 General Elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released on the 26th of February, 2026 the Time Table and Schedule of Activities for 2027 General Elections. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) conducted its Delta South South Senatorial District primary election on the 22nd of May 2026 by the direct mode of primaries which saw members of the ADC expressing their rights to vote and nominate the candidates of the party for the Delta South Senatorial District primary scheduled to hold on the 16th of January, 2027. I participated as the only aspirant and was duly declared the winner of the Delta South Senatorial District primary election conducted on the 2nd of May, 2026 having scored 10,950 votes. Subsequently, the ADC issued INEC statutory forms to wit, INEC Form E. C. 9. I duly filled and submitted the INEC Form E. C. 9 and 13C and returned the same to the National Secretariat of the ADC”
He said the commission on the 12th day of July, 2026, INEC amended the 2027 Election Time Table and Schedule of Activities by extending the date for the submission of the list of candidates for the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly Elections by political parties to the 14th day of July, 2026.
“On the 14th day of July, 2026, INEC received ADC’s letter forwarding the name of the list of candidates of the ADC for the National Assembly Elections. My name was forwarded by the ADC to INEC on the 14th day of July 2026 as the duly nominated and sponsored candidate of the ADC for the Delta South Senatorial District primary election.
Orette maintained that INEC deliberately omitted his name.
“On the 12th day of September, 2026, INEC published the first list of the candidates for the Senatorial Elections to hold on the 16 of January 2027. I checked INEC final list of candidates for the Senatorial District elections in Delta State with particular attention to the Delta South Senatorial District and I discovered to my chagrin, my name was conspicuously missing from the list of candidates for the Delta South Senatorial District election scheduled to hold on the 16th of January, 2027”.
The straightforward politician urged the commission to recognize him as the ADC’s candidate for the Delta South Senatorial District election scheduled to hold on the 16th of January 2027.
“I automatically became the candidate of ADC for the Delta South Senatorial District election immediately I won the primary election of 22nd of May, 2026. My right as the winner of the ADC’s primary election of 22nd of May 2026 Delta South Senatorial District will be lost if this Honourable Court does not intervene urgently on the issue. INEC, having received ADC’s letter forwarding my name as the candidate of the party for the Delta South Senatorial District election on the 14th day of July, 2026 is under an obligation to list my name in its record as the ADC’s candidate for the Delta South Senatorial District election scheduled to hold on the 16th of January 2027”
