Court Orders INEC to Resume Access Party Registration

On Wednesday, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must reinstate the registration process for Access Party. The court's decision, delivered by Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu, followed a legal action initiated by Access Party's pro tem national chairman, Dr. Audu Bulama Bukarti, and Mevon Samuel, representing the party's membership.

The court found INEC's previous halt of the registration process, based on objections regarding the party's proposed logo featuring an eagle's head, to be unlawful. The court declared INEC's rejection letter ultra vires and inconsistent with sections 40, 222, and 224 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, and section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Justice Egwuatu emphasized that INEC's reliance on the logo of an unregistered association to disqualify the plaintiff was arbitrary and unreasonable. Consequently, the court ordered INEC to grant Access Party the requisite access code to complete its registration process.