The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 48 hours to comply with a Federal High Court order directing the electoral body to grant the association access to its online portal to complete its registration as a political party.
ADA Protem National Secretary, Aminu Ahmed, issued the ultimatum in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, warning that failure by INEC to comply could lead to contempt proceedings against its chairman, the Director of the Department of Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) and other relevant officials.
Ahmed said ADA was among eight political associations prequalified by INEC for registration but alleged that the commission’s failure to obey the court order had stalled the process.
According to him, ADA needs an access code from INEC to upload the details of its officials, office addresses, digital membership register and other documents required for registration.
Court Order
Ahmed said the Federal High Court had ordered INEC to issue the access code within 72 hours of the judgment, adding that the deadline elapsed on August 4.
“Based on the order of the Federal High Court to issue the access code to us within 72 hours from the date of the court’s judgment, INEC was supposed to have issued the access code latest by Aug. 4.
“INEC is now defying a valid court order for a period of 39 days today and counting,” he said.
He accused the electoral commission of deliberately frustrating ADA’s efforts to secure registration and said the continued withholding of the access code was denying its members and supporters the opportunity to participate in the electoral process under the party’s platform.
“We hold the INEC chairman and the director, Department of EPM, personally responsible for this continuous obstruction, which is a clear case of contempt of court,” Ahmed said.
Dispute Over Access Code
The dispute followed a suit filed by ADA leaders, Chief Akin Rickets and Ahmed, through their lawyer, M.U. Kumalia, against INEC and Umar Ardo over the release of the association’s access code.
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Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, in a judgment delivered on June 29, ruled that the issuance of the access code to Ardo was illegal, wrongful, null and void after finding that he was not the recognised protem secretary of the association.
The court subsequently directed INEC to open its portal for one week to enable the recognised leadership of ADA to upload the required documents, including its digital membership register.
ADA said compliance with the order would allow it to complete the registration requirements and obtain its certificate of registration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The latest ultimatum has shifted the dispute from the registration process to enforcement of the court order, with ADA threatening to invoke the contempt jurisdiction of the court if INEC fails to comply within 48 hours.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.