The Federal High Court in Abuja, has cleared the leadership of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), led by Akin Ricketts, to commence registration process of the political party .
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide the registration access code to the faction led by Akin Ricketts within 72 hours.
The judge held that INEC acted outside the law when it earlier issued the code to Umar Ardo, stating that Ardo was not an authorised official of the association.
The court consequently voided every step taken through that access.
In addition, the court ordered the electoral body to reopen its digital registration portal for seven days, giving ADA’s recognised leadership enough time to submit all required documents, including its membership register.
The legal dispute arose after ADA challenged INEC’s decision to deal with Ardo rather than the leadership recognised by the association.
The claimant argued that documents previously uploaded were submitted without lawful authority and should not stand.
After reviewing the evidence, the court agreed that Ardo lacked the legal standing to act on behalf of ADA, reinforcing the authority of the Ricketts-led leadership in the registration process.
Although the claimant sought a longer compliance period, the court maintained a 72-hour deadline for INEC to release the access code.
(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
