The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue an access code to the leadership of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), paving the way for the association to continue its registration as a political party.
In a judgement delivered on Monday, Judge Peter Lifu directed INEC to generate and release the access code within 72 hours to the party’s protem secretary under the leadership of Akin Ricketts.
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The judge held that the electoral commission acted unlawfully when it issued the access code to Umar Ardo, whom the court found was neither the protem national chairperson nor the protem national secretary of the association.
He consequently declared INEC’s action “illegal, null and void.”
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The court also directed INEC to reopen its registration portal for one week to allow Mr Ricketts to upload the documents required for the registration process, including the party’s membership register.
Mr Ricketts, through his lawyer, Stephen Atabo, sued INEC and Mr Ardo over the disputed access code.
Among other reliefs, he asked the court to declare that INEC failed to issue the access code to the recognised leadership of the association, thereby preventing it from uploading the information and documents required for ADA’s registration as a political party.
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He also argued that INEC violated the law by issuing the access code to Mr Ardo, who, according to him, was neither the protem national chairperson nor the protem national secretary of the association.
Mr Ricketts further urged the court to invalidate all information uploaded by Mr Ardo on behalf of ADA, arguing that the documents differed from those contained in the association’s original letter of intent submitted to INEC.
He also sought an order directing INEC to issue the access code to the association’s recognised leadership, register ADA as a political party and issue it a certificate of registration.
He further asked the court to extend the deadlines of 10 May and 30 May for the submission of the party’s digital membership register and candidates’ details to INEC.
After reviewing the parties’ arguments, Judge Lifu agreed that Mr Ardo was not authorised to act on behalf of the association.
The judge consequently nullified every step taken by Mr Ardo in relation to ADA’s registration.
Although Mr Ricketts requested that INEC be given 96 hours to issue the access code, the court reduced the period to 72 hours.
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Background
The judgement is the latest development in a leadership dispute over the proposed ADA, one of the political platforms promoted by opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
PREMIUM TIMES reported in June last year that the coalition seeking to register ADA submitted its application to INEC with Mr Ricketts as protem national chairperson and Abdullahi Musa Elayo as Protem National Secretary. Mr Ardo was among the coalition leaders backing the proposed party but was not one of the signatories to the application.
Under INEC’s registration process, an association seeking recognition as a political party is issued an access code to enable its authorised officials to log into the commission’s portal and upload mandatory documents, including its constitution, manifesto and membership register.
The latest suit arose after INEC issued the access code to Mr Ardo instead of the leadership recognised by the association, prompting Mr Ricketts to challenge the commission’s decision in court.
The dispute followed an earlier legal challenge by Mr Ardo and other promoters of ADA against INEC over the party’s registration.
Just last month, Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court dismissed the suit after ruling that it had been commenced through the wrong procedure and that the issues raised could not be determined through an originating summons.
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