123
By John Azu
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the Liberation People’s Party (LPP), as a political party and issue it a certificate of registration within 30 days.
In a judgement on Tuesday, a three-member panel of justices including Adebukola Banjoko, Okon Abang and Ojodu Oyewumi, overturned an earlier decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had declined the reliefs sought by the political association.
The panel of justices unanimously held that the LPP was deemed duly registered under Section 75(4) of the Electoral Act, 2022, effective from December 2025, being 60 days after the party submitted its application to INEC.
The panel further awarded N5 million in damages against INEC, in addition to N500,000 as cost of litigation.
In its judgement, the Court of Appeal held that the circumstances of the case entitled the party to be regarded as duly registered in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The court’s decision followed an appeal filed by the LPP challenging the judgment of the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako declining their reliefs against INEC for their non-registration.
According to the political party, it was among 14 political associations prequalified by INEC from a total of 171 applicants seeking registration in 2025.
The LPP stated that after paying the mandatory administrative fee of N2 million, it was issued an access code with a 30-day validity period to enable it upload the required registration documents on INEC’s online portal.
However, the party alleged that INEC blocked its access to the portal before the expiration of the deadline, thereby preventing it from completing the registration process.