Party Registration: Appeal Court Throws Out INEC’s Suit

A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by INEC against a Federal High Court on party registration.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had challenged the judgment of the court which ordered the commission to register Young Democratic Party as a political party.

Delivering judgment on the appeal, Justice Akomolafe Wilson, said that there was no merit in the appeal by INEC as the commission failed to establish its case on why it refused to register Young Democratic Party as a political party.

The Appeal Court therefore, affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on March 4, 2015.

Young Democratic Party had approached the Federal High Court seeking a declaration that INEC has no reason whatsoever to refuse to issue it with a certificate of registration.

The party maintained that they were deemed registered as a political party by virtue of the provisions of Section 78, Sub-section 4 of the Electoral Act.