The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has rejected a recent Federal High Court judgment in Abuja over its leadership dispute, vowing to appeal the decision while seeking to prevent the release of an INEC registration access code to a rival faction.
The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has rejected the Federal High Court judgment that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a registration access code to the Akin Ricketts-led leadership of the association. The rival faction aligned with Umar Ardo described the ruling as flawed and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ruled that INEC acted unlawfully by issuing the registration access code to Umar Ardo, holding that he was neither the recognised protem national chairman nor the protem national secretary of the association.
The court consequently nullified all actions taken using the earlier access code and directed INEC to generate and release a fresh access code to the Akin Ricketts-led leadership within 72 hours. It also ordered the electoral commission to reopen its registration portal for one week to enable the recognised leadership to upload the association’s membership register and other required documents.
Following the judgment, the Umar Ardo faction rejected the decision, insisting that it would file an appeal and seek to prevent implementation of the court’s orders pending the outcome of the appellate process.
The dispute stems from a prolonged leadership tussle within the proposed political association as both factions seek recognition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Ardo faction maintained that the judgment would be challenged through the appropriate legal channels, while the Ricketts-led leadership welcomed the ruling as a significant step toward completing the party’s registration.
As of the time of reporting, INEC had not publicly indicated whether it had complied with the court’s directive or whether any appeal had affected implementation of the judgment.
The legal dispute adds another layer of uncertainty to ADA’s registration process, with the outcome of the anticipated appeal expected to shape the future of the association’s recognition as a political party ahead of the 2027 elections.