Court Orders INEC to Reinstate Access Party Registration

On Wednesday, December 23, 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a landmark judgment in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/2096/2025, where Dr.

Audu Bulama Bukarti and Mr. Mevon Samuel represented Access Party against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The court ruled that INEC's decision to discontinue the registration process for Access Party was unlawful, as it relied on an alleged similarity between Access Party's proposed logo and that of the unregistered Democratic Leadership Party (DLP). The court declared INEC's letter dated September 12, 2025, as ultra vires and inconsistent with sections 40, 222, and 224 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022.

The judgment emphasized that Access Party's proposed logo was distinct and compliant with legal requirements. Consequently, the court ordered INEC to reinstate the registration process and awarded N500,000 against INEC for the arbitrary decision.