Court Dismisses Democratic Alliance Registration Suit

On Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, dismissed a suit filed by Umar Ardo against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the registration of the Democratic Alliance political party. The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/2788/2025, sought to compel INEC to register the party and declare it registered under Section 75(4) of the Electoral Act 2022.

Justice Nwite ruled that the suit was incompetent and lacked credible evidence, stating that the plaintiff failed to establish a valid claim. The court upheld preliminary objections raised by the second and third defendants, indicating that the suit was improperly instituted.

The judgment noted that the plaintiff did not provide independent evidence to support allegations against Chief Akin Rickett and the African Democratic Congress, relying instead on insufficient newspaper reports. Consequently, the court struck out the suit, concluding that it lacked merit.