A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by promoters of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the association as a political party.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Emeka Nwite, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, held that the case was incompetent and could not be sustained in law.
The court agreed with objections raised by the defendants, ruling that the suit was improperly initiated and lacked the required legal foundation to proceed.
According to the court, the plaintiffs used the wrong procedure in filing the case, making it incapable of being heard on its merits.
The judge also noted that the claims raised issues that required proper trial procedures, including the calling and cross-examination of witnesses, rather than being handled through an originating summons.
He therefore struck out and dismissed the suit for being procedurally defective and lacking merit.
The ADA promoters, led by Umar Ardo, had asked the court to compel INEC to register the group as a political party, arguing that the commission failed to act within the timeframe provided by law.
They also sought a declaration that the association should be deemed registered under the Electoral Act, 2022, but the court rejected the request.
The decision effectively halts the immediate push by ADA to gain recognition as a political party ahead of future elections.
