SUPREME Court has affirmed Court of Appeal judgment declaring de-registration of Youth Party illegal, null and void. The court, in a unanimous judgment, dismissed the appeal by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It held that Youth Party is registered and eligible to participate in 2023 elections.
The Justices, led by Uwani Musa Aji, upheld the decision of Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo.
INEC had failed to register the party after it got a judgment against it on October 18, 2017, in between Chukwudi Adiukwu and others vs INEC. The electoral umpire illegally de-registered Youth Party while parties were before the Federal High Court. The court held that the defendant’s power under Section 225A (b) & (c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to de-register a party does not justify its action while the case was pending before the court.