The All Democratic Alliance has rejected Monday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to release the party registration access code to the Chief Akin Ricketts-led leadership, insisting the ruling sought to impose “outsider leadership” on the association.
In a statement shared with our correspondent on Tuesday, the association said it had instructed its lawyers to file a stay of execution and a notice of appeal against the judgment, arguing that Ricketts and other promoters had since left the ADA for the African Democratic Congress and no longer had the authority to act on its behalf.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Leye Igbabo, maintained that the court did not order INEC to register the ADA as a political party but merely directed the electoral umpire to release the registration access code to Ricketts to recommence the registration process.
“For clarity, the Court did not order the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the All Democratic Alliance as a political party. Rather, the Court directed INEC to release the registration access code to Chief Akin Ricketts to recommence the registration process.
“The change in the leadership of the Association was effectively and formally communicated to INEC before now, and the Commission had acknowledged and deemed the change to have been effected accordingly.
“Consequently, the registration process has since been completed by the Prince Uche Secondus- and Dr Umar Ardo-led National Executive Committee,” the statement read.
The association expressed concern that implementing the judgment would “have the effect of imposing outsider leadership on the Association and recommencing a concluded registration process.”
