The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude the political association I Love Nigeria from proceeding with its application to register as a political party, ruling that the commission acted wrongly in rejecting the group on the grounds that its name and logo were unsuitable.
Delivering judgment on Monday, March 9, 2026, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja Division, set aside INEC’s decision and ordered the electoral body to include the association among groups eligible to move to the next stage of the registration process.
The suit was filed by the association following its disqualification by INEC last year when the commission shortlisted only 14 political associations out of the 171 groups that had submitted letters of intent seeking registration as political parties.
INEC had excluded more than 150 of the associations from proceeding to the application stage, including I Love Nigeria, citing concerns that its name and logo — a mirror symbol — were unsuitable for registration.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the association approached the court through its National Chairman, John Nwobodo, and its National Secretary, Aya Yakubu Ayiwulu, challenging the legality of the electoral body’s action.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu granted a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from excluding I Love Nigeria from the registration process.
The court also directed the commission to include the association in the list of political groups qualified to proceed to the application stage for party registration.
Furthermore, the court set aside INEC’s earlier determination that the name “I Love Nigeria” and its mirror logo were unsuitable for use as a political party identity.
The judge equally declared that the name and logo do not fall short of the requirements prescribed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and the Electoral Act, 2022, and are therefore valid within the context of the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions governing the registration of political parties.
With the ruling, INEC is now required to recognise I Love Nigeria as one of the political associations eligible to proceed with the formal application process for registration as a political party.
