The Court of Appeal, convening in Abuja, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially register the Liberation People’s Party (LPP) as a political party and issue it a certificate of registration within 30 days.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel comprising Justices Banjoko, Abang, and Oyewunmi, the appellate court overturned an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court and declared that the LPP had satisfied the legal requirements for registration under Nigeria’s Electoral Act.
The court held that the party became registered by operation of law in December 2025, sixty days after submitting its application to INEC, in accordance with Section 75(4) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
In addition to ordering the commission to register the party, the court awarded ₦5 million in damages against INEC and directed the electoral body to pay a further ₦500,000 as litigation costs.
The dispute originated from the 2025 political party registration exercise during which 171 associations sought recognition from INEC. The LPP was among 14 associations that were prequalified to proceed to the next stage of the registration process.
Court documents revealed that the party paid the required administrative fee of ₦2 million and received an access code to upload supporting documents through INEC’s online registration portal. The code was reportedly valid for 30 days.
However, the party alleged that access to the portal was blocked before the expiration of the allotted period, preventing it from completing the registration process. According to the association, repeated requests to INEC to restore access were unsuccessful.
Following the impasse, the LPP approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in January 2026 seeking judicial intervention. Justice B.F.M. Nyako dismissed the suit, holding that the party’s application had been submitted manually and therefore did not qualify for the reliefs sought.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, the association appealed the decision.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal found merit in the appeal and concluded that the party had fulfilled the statutory conditions necessary for registration. The appellate court subsequently set aside the judgment of the lower court and ordered INEC to recognize the party.
The decision is expected to expand Nigeria’s political landscape by adding another registered political party ahead of the build-up to future electoral contests.
Legal analysts say the judgment reinforces judicial oversight of the electoral process and provides further clarity on the interpretation of provisions governing political party registration under the Electoral Act, 2022.
