A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the promoters of the All Democratic Alliance, who had gone to court seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to register them as a political party. The judgment, delivered on Wednesday, shut the door on ADA's latest legal push to gain official recognition ahead of the 2027 elections.

Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the case, held that the suit filed by the association's promoters was incompetent and unsupported by credible evidence. He upheld a preliminary objection raised by the second and third defendants, who argued that the suit was filed through the wrong legal procedure.  

What ADA Was Asking For

The plaintiffs, led by Umar Ardo, had sued INEC alongside Chief Akin Ricketts and Aminu Ahmed in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2788/2025. They asked the court to order INEC to register ADA as a political party and also sought a declaration that ADA should be considered automatically registered under Section 75(4) of the Electoral Act 2022, on the grounds that INEC had allegedly failed to act within the legally required timeframe. 

Why the Court Said No

Justice Nwite found inconsistencies in the names of interim national officers submitted to INEC and those in the association's original letter of intent, and held that the plaintiffs failed to satisfactorily explain the discrepancies. "In sum, I am of the view, and I so hold, that the case of the plaintiffs is lacking in merit and not supported by credible evidence and it is hereby dismissed," Justice Nwite ruled. 

The court also took issue with the evidence presented to support the claim that one of the defendants had defected from ADA to another party. The plaintiffs relied on online publications from ThisDay, Daily Post and Tribune to argue that Chief Ricketts had joined the African Democratic Congress before the suit was filed. But Justice Nwite ruled that newspaper reports only establish that a publication was made  not that the contents are true. "Any person may author a report, print a story or circulate a rumour through a publication, but this does not imbue the report with sanctity of truth," he said. 

Background: ADA's Long Road to Recognition

The All Democratic Alliance has been at the centre of one of Nigeria's most closely watched political registration disputes in recent months. Led by Dr. Umar Ardo, the group claims it met all of INEC's requirements but was unfairly denied registration while other associations  including the Nigeria Democratic Congress  were registered through court orders outside the normal screening process.

Ardo had argued that out of over 170 associations that initially applied for registration, only 14 were shortlisted by INEC, and only eight made it through to the verification stage. ADA was among those that went through the process but did not receive a certificate of registration. He compared the situation to awarding a contract to someone who never applied, saying it undermined fairness and institutional credibility. 

With Wednesday's ruling, ADA's court bid has failed at the Federal High Court level. Ardo has previously indicated the group is prepared to pursue the matter all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.