The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide an access code to the leadership of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), enabling the association to continue its registration as a political party. In a judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu ordered INEC to generate and release the access code within 72 hours to the party's protem secretary under the leadership of Akin Ricketts.
Court Ruling on INEC's Actions
The judge ruled that INEC acted unlawfully when it issued the access code to Umar Ardo, whom the court determined was neither the protem national chairperson nor the protem national secretary of the association. Consequently, the court declared INEC's action “illegal, null and void.”
Justice Lifu also instructed INEC to reopen its registration portal for one week, allowing Mr. Ricketts to upload the required documents, including the party's membership register. The court further nullified all steps taken by Mr. Ardo in relation to ADA's registration.
Background of the Legal Dispute
Mr. Ricketts, through his lawyer Stephen Atabo, had sued INEC and Mr. Ardo over the disputed access code. He sought a declaration that INEC failed to issue the code to the recognized leadership, preventing ADA from uploading necessary documents for registration. He also argued that INEC violated the law by issuing the code to Mr. Ardo, who lacked authorization.
Mr. Ricketts requested the court to invalidate all information uploaded by Mr. Ardo, as it differed from the original letter of intent submitted to INEC. He also sought an order for INEC to issue the access code to the recognized leadership, register ADA, and extend deadlines for submission of the digital membership register and candidates' details.
Court's Decision and Implications
After reviewing arguments, Justice Lifu agreed that Mr. Ardo was not authorized to act on behalf of the association. Although Mr. Ricketts requested a 96-hour window for INEC to issue the code, the court reduced it to 72 hours.
The judgment is the latest development in a leadership dispute over ADA, a political platform promoted by opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections. In June last year, 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 but was not a signatory to the application.
Under INEC's registration process, an association seeking recognition as a political party is issued an access code to enable authorized officials to upload mandatory documents. The suit arose after INEC issued the code to Mr. Ardo instead of the recognized leadership. This followed an earlier legal challenge by Mr. Ardo and others against INEC, which was dismissed by Justice Emeka Nwite for being initiated through the wrong procedure.
