Ahidjo sues INEC, NDC, wants party deregistered

A member of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Hon. Ahidjo Ibrahim Karlahi, has instituted a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the registration of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a statement at the weekend, Karlahi disclosed that the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1115/2026, was filed on June 2 and has been assigned to Court 5 presided over by Justice M.G. Umar.

He said, the suit seeks to determine the constitutional questions relating to the “lawful registration, recognition and retention of political parties in Nigeria.”

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The suit which has INEC as the first defendant and the NDC as the second defendant, alleged that the party was registered and retained by the electoral commission without complying with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Karlahi contended that the NDC was neither among the associations prequalified for the 2025 political party registration exercise nor among those that paid the mandatory N2 million administrative fees required to access INEC’s registration portal.

He further alleged that the party did not utilise INEC’s dedicated political party registration portal, did not complete the mandatory Form EC15A, and was not listed among associations published by the commission as having applied for registration.

“These are not mere allegations; they are matters of public record,” he said, adding that his involvement in the registration process of the ADA gave him firsthand knowledge of the procedures required by INEC.

The plaintiff is praying the court to declare the NDC’s registration unconstitutional, unlawful and void, and to set aside its certificate of registration.

He is also seeking orders directing INEC to remove the NDC from its register of political parties, cease further dealings with it as a political party, and restrain the party from participating in electoral activities pending compliance with the law.

Karlahi maintained that the action was instituted in his personal capacity and not on behalf of any political association, including the ADA.

“This suit is instituted solely by me as a citizen to advance constitutionalism, the rule of law and electoral integrity in our democracy. It is not directed against any individual or group of persons,” he explained.

He argued that the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic system depends on strict adherence to legal requirements governing political party registration and called on Nigerians, civil society organisations and the media to follow the proceedings closely, describing the case as a test of constitutional compliance and electoral integrity.

In February, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan had stated that while only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) met all conditions stipulated under the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the Commission’s guidelines for political party registration, the commission also registered the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in compliance with a judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State.

Amupitan said INEC would comply with the court’s order directing the registration of the NDC as a political party, adding that the registration of the two parties brought the total number of registered political parties in the country to 21.

When contacted on the recent suit, senior officials from the commission said INEC will respond in due time as it is too early to comment.

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