Court of Appeal asked to halt INEC’s registration of political party

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal is set to review an appeal seeking to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from registering the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a political party. The appeal was filed by Dr. Umar Ardo, who contends that a Federal High Court order compelling INEC to register the ADA was legally flawed.

Dr. Ardo's appeal, based on six grounds, argues that the lower court judge made errors in law and procedure. A central point of contention is the timing of the lawsuit that led to the registration order. The appellant asserts that the suit was filed outside the 14-day limitation period prescribed by Section 76 of the Electoral Act 2022, thus constituting a violation of electoral law.

Furthermore, the appeal highlights a potential abuse of court process. Dr. Ardo claims that a previous lawsuit involving the same parties and seeking the identical relief, the registration of the ADA, is already on appeal. He argues that filing a new suit while the prior one is pending constitutes forum shopping and undermines the appellate process, potentially leading to conflicting judgments.

The case involves Chief Akin Ricketts and Dr. Aminu Ahmed as respondents, with INEC cited as the third respondent. The appellant alleges that Chief Ricketts, who leads a faction of the association, had previously been removed from his position and his name expunged from the membership list, raising questions about the legitimacy of his faction's registration bid.