Judiciary
Court Adjourns Suit Seeking Deregistration of Five Political Parties to March 24
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned until March 24 for hearing in a suit seeking the deregistration of five political parties over alleged constitutional breaches.
The case was instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the affected political parties.
Initially filed against the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the suit was later amended to include Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel to the plaintiffs, Yakubu Ruba (SAN), informed the court of a pending application seeking to formally join the additional parties to the suit.
However, the ADC challenged the jurisdiction of the court, arguing that it has satisfied the constitutional requirements necessary to remain a registered political party.
Presiding judge, Peter Lifu, adjourned the matter to March 24 to allow the court to hear and determine all pending applications. The court also directed Action Alliance to resolve its internal leadership dispute after two separate lawyers appeared, each claiming to represent the party.
The plaintiffs are urging the court to compel INEC to deregister political parties that fail to meet the minimum electoral performance thresholds stipulated by law. They argue that allowing such parties to remain on the ballot could undermine electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Counsel in the matter include Yakubu Ruba (SAN) for the plaintiffs, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN) representing Accord Party, and Rilwan Okpanachi, a member of the ADC legal team.
The Federal High Court has struck out a suit challenging the alignment of the multi-billion-naira Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, ruling that the case lacked merit and disclosed no reasonable cause of action.
The suit, marked FHC/L/CS/1803/2024, was filed by Mrs. Stella Ifeoma Okengwu, Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes Global Services Limited. She had alleged that the highway project was diverted into a Winhomes residential development at Okun Ajah, Lagos, claiming the move threatened an investment valued at over $250 million and accusing the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, of wrongdoing.
However, documents filed before the court showed that Winhomes had already sold the disputed land to third parties, effectively relinquishing its legal interest in the property.
In its ruling on preliminary objections, the court held that Mrs. Okengwu and her company lacked locus standi to institute the action, having divested ownership of the land. The judge further ruled that the plaintiffs failed to establish a reasonable cause of action.
The court also noted that the core issues raised bordering on land use and alleged trespass, fall outside the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court under Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution, and are matters for state high courts.
With the suit struck out, the ruling clears a legal hurdle surrounding the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project, which the Federal Government describes as a key infrastructure initiative aimed at boosting connectivity and economic activity along Nigeria’s southern corridor.
A Nigerian court has ordered Oriental Energy Resources Limited to pay $43.51 million to twins Ameena and Zara Indimi following a long-running dividend disagreement involving their father, Muhammadu Indimi.
The ruling stems from a dispute in which the twin sisters alleged that their combined 10% shareholding in the oil company was reduced without their consent, effectively denying them access to dividends from a distribution pool estimated at about $435 million.
Court documents indicated that the share adjustment prevented the sisters from receiving their rightful earnings linked to the company’s offshore operations.
The decision, delivered by a Federal High Court, marked a significant development in the family business conflict, which had largely remained private until the high-value financial dispute became public.
While the precise breakdown of the $43.51 million award and the payment timeline were not disclosed, the judgment confirmed that the company owes the amount.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Nigeria’s business community, highlighting governance issues in privately owned firms where ownership structures and dividend arrangements are often not transparent.
Observers say the dispute could continue if an appeal is filed or if enforcement proceedings are pursued, though the ruling has already shifted the internal dynamics within the family-controlled enterprise.
A Federal High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced 30-year-old Nkereuwem Felix Effiong to life imprisonment over the kidnapping of High Court Judge, Justice Joy Unwana.
Effiong was convicted on charges bordering on conspiracy, membership of a terrorist organisation, and kidnapping under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The court heard that Justice Unwana and her driver, Idorenyin Ekanem, were abducted on December 18, 2023, at about 8 p.m. along the Okobo–Esuk Inwang–Ndon Ebom Road.
During the attack, a police orderly identified as ThankGod Ekanem was shot dead.
Prosecutors told the court that the defendant belonged to a gang known as the “Bling Bling Marine Strike Force,” allegedly led by Ubong Effiong.
The gang was said to operate across several local government areas in Akwa Ibom State, including Uyo, Uruan, Nsit Atai, Udung Uko, Okobo, and Oron, using a base at Esong Inwang Beach in Uruan.
Court documents revealed that the gang received about ₦25 million as ransom for the judge’s release, with Effiong admitting that he personally received ₦300,000 as his share.
The convict also confessed to participating in other kidnapping operations, including the abduction of a pastor of The Apostolic Church Nigeria in Oron and another victim whose family paid ₦5 million for release.
The prosecution charged Effiong under multiple counts of terrorism-related offences, including concealment of criminal activity from security agencies.
The court ordered life imprisonment following his guilty plea and the severity of the crimes, which included murder, terrorism association, and kidnapping.