The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude the political association “I Love Nigeria” from proceeding with the process of registering as a political party.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu held that the electoral body acted wrongly in disqualifying the association on the grounds that its name and logo were unsuitable.
The suit was filed by the association through its National Chairman, John Nwobodo, and National Secretary, Aya Yakubu Ayiwulu, after INEC excluded it from the list of political associations shortlisted to proceed to the application stage of party registration.
Last year, a total of 171 political associations submitted letters of intent to INEC seeking registration as political parties.
However, the commission shortlisted only 14 associations, disqualifying over 150 others, including “I Love Nigeria.”
Dissatisfied with the decision, the association approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the action of INEC.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu granted a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from excluding “I Love Nigeria” from the party registration process.
The court also directed the commission to include the association in the list of political groups eligible to proceed to the application stage.
The court further set aside INEC’s earlier decision that the name “I Love Nigeria” and its logo — a mirror symbol — were unsuitable for registration as a political party.
Justice Lifu also declared that the association’s name and logo meet the requirements stipulated under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2022, and are therefore suitable for consideration in the party registration process.
The judgment effectively compels INEC to allow “I Love Nigeria” to continue with the process of seeking registration as a political party.
