The sitting in has nullified the decision of the (INEC) to exclude the political association I Love Nigeria from proceeding with the process of registering as a political party.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice ruled in favor of the association in the suit it filed against INEC after it was disqualified during the Commission’s screening of political associations seeking party registration.
The dispute arose after about 171 political associations submitted letters of intent to register as political parties. Following its review, INEC shortlisted only 14 associations to proceed to the next stage of the registration process, disqualifying more than 150 others, including I Love Nigeria, on grounds that its proposed name and logo were unsuitable.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the association—through its National Chairman, , and its National Secretary, —instituted a legal challenge against INEC, seeking redress over what it described as an unjust exclusion from the registration process.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu granted a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from excluding I Love Nigeria from the political party registration process. The court also directed the electoral commission to include the association among those eligible to proceed to the application stage.
The court further set aside INEC’s earlier decision declaring that the proposed name “I Love Nigeria” and its logo, described as a mirror symbol, were unsuitable for registration.
Justice Lifu also issued a declaratory order affirming that both the name and logo meet the requirements stipulated in the Constitution and electoral laws. According to the ruling, the name and symbol do not fall short of the criteria outlined in the and the , thereby making them legally acceptable for use by a political party.
With the judgment, INEC is now compelled to recognize and include I Love Nigeria in the ongoing political party registration process, allowing the association to proceed to the next stage of its application.
If you want, I can also rewrite this as a stronger newspaper headline report or editorial-style publication (the way Nigerian dailies present major court judgments).
