Federal High Court Orders INEC to Release ADA Access Code Within 72 Hours, Nullifies Umar Ardo’s Actions

Federal High Court Orders INEC to Release ADA Access Code Within 72 Hours, Nullifies Umar Ardo’s Actions

A major legal victory has emerged for the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) after a Federal High Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the party's registration portal access code to its recognised leadership within 72 hours.

The landmark judgment, delivered on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu, declared that INEC acted unlawfully by issuing the access code to Umar Ardo, whom the court ruled was not the recognised Protem Secretary of the political association.

Court Declares INEC's Action Illegal

In his ruling, Justice Lifu held that INEC's decision to hand the registration access code to Umar Ardo was illegal, wrongful, null and void, stressing that the electoral body failed to comply with the law governing political party registration.

The court affirmed that Ardo was neither the Protem National Chairman nor the Protem Secretary of ADA and therefore lacked the legal authority to act on behalf of the association.

INEC Ordered to Reopen Registration Portal

Beyond directing INEC to release the correct access code within 72 hours, the court also ordered the electoral commission to reopen its online registration portal for one week.

The extension will allow ADA's recognised leadership to upload all legally required documents, including its membership register and other registration materials needed for the party's formal recognition.

Plaintiff Challenges INEC's Decision

The lawsuit was filed by the plaintiff through his counsel, Stephen Atabo, against both INEC and Umar Ardo.

The plaintiff argued that INEC violated Nigeria's electoral laws by issuing the registration access code to Ardo instead of the association's recognised leadership.

He further asked the court to declare every document and information uploaded into INEC's portal by Umar Ardo as illegal, unlawful, null and void, insisting the submissions did not reflect the official records contained in the association's letter of intent.

Court Nullifies All Actions Taken by Umar Ardo

After reviewing the evidence presented by both parties, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiff's arguments.

The court ruled that all actions, documents and submissions made by Umar Ardo on behalf of ADA are nullified, having been carried out without lawful authority.

ADA Seeks Full Political Party Registration

In addition to requesting the access code, the plaintiff also urged the court to compel INEC to officially register ADA as a political party and issue it a certificate of registration.

The suit further sought an extension of INEC's deadlines of May 10, 2026, for the submission of the party's digital membership register and May 30, 2026, for candidate submissions.

The judgment represents a significant development in ADA's quest for official political party status and could have important implications for Nigeria's evolving political landscape ahead of future elections.

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