A Federal High Court in Abuja has cleared the coast for the registration of the All Democratic Alliance, ADA, by ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to generate and subsequently release Access Code for the party’s registration to the Chief Akin Rickett-led leadership of the ADA.
Justice Peter Lifu in a judgment on Monday gave INEC 72 hours within which the access code must be released to the Protem Secretary of the ADA.
Justice Lifu in the judgement faulted the electoral body for releasing the access code to one Dr Umar Ardo, who was not a recognized Protem Secretary of the political association and consequently declared the action of INEC as illegal, wrongful, null and void.
The court further ordered INEC to open its portal for a period of one week to enable the plaintiff upload necessary documents, including membership digital register into INEC’s custody as required by law.
The plaintiff through his counsel, Stephen Atabo, had dragged the electoral body and Ardo before the court, seeking declarations among others that INEC has not issued an access code to the plaintiff for the purpose of uploading their information and documents for the registration of their political association, the All Democratic Alliance as a political party, in compliance with extant laws.
They also sought another declaration that INEC was in violation of the extant laws when it issued the access code to the second defendant, Umar Ardo, who is neither the Protem National Chairman or the secretary of the association,
