By SCM Reporter
ABUJA, Nigeria—A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately generate and release a fresh access code to the leadership of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), led by Chief Akin Ricketts, to facilitate the political association’s registration process.
Presiding Judge, Justice Peter Lifu, directed the electoral umpire to release the vital access code to the recognized Protem Secretary of the association within 72 hours of the judgment.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that INEC acted unlawfully by issuing the initial access code to one Umar Ardo, whom the court noted was neither the recognized Protem National Chairman nor the Protem Secretary of the association.
Consequently, the court declared all actions previously taken on behalf of the ADA using the wrongfully issued access code as null, void, and of no effect.
To ensure the association is not short-changed, the court further ordered INEC to reopen its registration portal for a period of one week after issuing the new access code. This window is to enable the ADA to seamlessly upload its membership register and other statutory registration documents.
The legal battle was initiated by Chief Akin Ricketts through his counsel, Stephen Atabo. Ricketts had approached the court to challenge INEC’s decision to issue the political party’s access code to Umar Ardo instead of the recognized leadership of the association.
The plaintiff had sought judicial declarations that INEC’s action was unlawful, while praying the court to compel the commission to provide the correct access code to the rightful leadership to allow the registration process to reach its logical conclusion.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Lifu dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defendants challenging the competence of the suit. Part of the objection claimed that the suit was statute-barred under Section 76 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
However, the judge dismissed the claim, holding that the provision did not apply in this instance because INEC had not formally refused or denied the registration of the ADA.
According to the court, there was no evidence on record to prove that INEC had denied ADA registration, meaning that the association’s registration process remains active and ongoing.
With this judgment, the coast is now clear for the Chief Akin Ricketts-led leadership of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) to proceed with its registration process before INEC, subject to its compliance with all other statutory requirements.
