…insist on court-recognised leadership

By Juliet Umeh 

Solicitors to the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately stop all electoral engagements with individuals and groups not recognised by subsisting court judgments, insisting that only the party leadership affirmed by the courts should be accorded official recognition.

The demand was contained in a letter addressed to the Chairman of INEC and copied to the Director of Litigation on Saturday.

The letter, titled: “Forwarding of Subsisting Judgments and Court Orders on the Leadership of NNPP,” was signed by the party’s solicitors, Rex Firma LP, and made available to journalists in Lagos.

The solicitors specifically urged INEC not to issue nomination portal credentials, authentication keys, candidate-upload authorisations or similar electoral privileges to any rival faction not recognised by the courts.

According to the lawyers, “No access code, nomination portal credential, authentication key, candidate-upload authorization or similar electoral privileges should be issued by INEC to any purported rival faction unrecognized by subsisting judgments of courts.”

They maintained that all such electoral privileges should be granted only to the leadership of the NNPP under the supervision of the party’s founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam.

The legal representatives further called on the commission to discontinue official correspondence and engagement with individuals they described as unauthorised representatives of the party.

“We demand that all electoral communications and related privileges concerning the NNPP be restricted exclusively to the duly recognised leadership affirmed by judgments of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and the Court of Appeal, Owerri,” the solicitors stated.

They also asked INEC to refrain from recognising, acting upon or processing any communication, nomination, sponsorship or instruction originating from persons or groups outside the party’s recognised National Working Committee, NWC, and Board of Trustees.

According to the solicitors, INEC is constitutionally bound to obey valid court judgments.

“We consider it necessary to remind the commission that by virtue of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), all authorities and persons are under a constitutional obligation to give effect to decisions of courts of competent jurisdiction,” they said.

The lawyers cited several judgments, including those delivered by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory and the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, which they said affirmed the authority of the NNPP Board of Trustees and the leadership that emerged from the party’s National Convention held in Apapa, Lagos, on February 4 and 5, 2025.

They noted that one of the judgments directed INEC to recognise and give effect to the leadership elected at the convention and to update its official records accordingly.

“The court further directed INEC to update and reflect the names and particulars of the duly elected National Executive Committee in its official records,” the solicitors stated.

They added that the court also restrained the electoral commission from recognising or dealing with any other group claiming to act on behalf of the NNPP except as may be directed by a competent appellate court.

Expressing concern over alleged attempts by some individuals to gain access to INEC’s nomination portals, the lawyers said: “Consequently, issuance of such credentials to unauthorised persons would amount to conferring recognition and authority upon such persons in direct contradiction of subsisting judgments and orders binding on the commission.”

The solicitors argued that individuals who had openly aligned themselves with other political platforms could not validly claim authority to represent the NNPP.

“Having elected to pursue their political activities outside the NNPP, they cannot validly claim authority to represent, act for, nominate candidates on behalf of, or otherwise exercise any rights belonging to the party,” they stated.

They therefore urged INEC to immediately notify all relevant departments and officials of the binding effect of the court judgments and ensure strict compliance in all matters relating to the administration and electoral affairs of the NNPP.