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In a ruling that affirmed the validity of the African Democratic Congress ( ADC) and four other political parties, the Appeal Court has declared that they cannot be deregistered.
The ruling on Tuesday in Abuja nullified the judgment of the Federal High Court ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the political parties.
Delivering a unanimous judgement on behalf of a three-member panel of justices, Justice Abba Mohammed held that the June 15 judgment of the Federal High Court was a nullity, having been delivered without jurisdiction.
He also declared that the trial court wrongly assumed jurisdiction and made the order on an incompetent suit filed by a non-juristic entity.
The Appeal Court held that there was no valid suit that could have warranted the consequential order directing INEC to deregister the affected political parties.
It further held that the trial court failed to properly evaluate the evidence before it, noting that proof showing the parties had won various elective seats in previous elections was ignored.
It also held that the lower court acted in defiance of an order directing it to stay proceedings pending the determination of an interlocutory appeal.
The appellate court consequently held that the Federal High Court ought to have dismissed the substantive suit for want of jurisdiction and merit.
It allowed the separate appeals filed by the political parties, restored their registration, and awarded costs against the National Forum of Former Legislators, which instituted the suit.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The appellate court declared that all the affected political parties remain duly registered.
The appellate court had, on June 16, stayed the execution of the trial court’s judgment pending the determination of the appeals.
In its decision, the panel faulted the conduct of Justice Peter Lifu for proceeding with the case, despite an earlier order made on May 22 directing him to stay proceedings pending the outcome of the appeal.
How To Make IPPIS Serve Civil Service Better – Olaopa
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The Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, flanked by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Esther Didi Walson-Jack (fifth, left), Permanent Secretary, Interior Ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani ( fourth, left), Permanent Secretary, Regional Development Ministry, Dr Mary Ada Ogbe ( third, left), Permanent Secretary, Works Ministry, Mr Rafiu Olarinre Adeladan ( second, left), Permanent Secretary , Budget & Planning Ministry, Dr. Deborah Odoh ( first, left) , Permanent Secretary, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Dr Dunoma Umar Ahmed ( second, right) and Permanent Secretary, Solid Minerals Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo (first , right) during the Go-Live Ceremony and Official Launch of the IPPIS Human Resource Modules by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in Abuja on Monday.
The Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has explained how to make the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) serve the civil service better.
Olaopa spoke on Monday in Abuja during the Go-Live Ceremony and Official Launch of the IPPIS Human ReMrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack
In a goodwill message Olaopa delivered on the occasion, he said that after the Go Live and Launch, the IPPIS’ full complement of human resource modules should revolve round the change management creativity to, first, resolve subsisting gaps and opportunities for full public sector-wide adoption. He said that this should include getting total handle on the whole issue of data integrity, and system’s enhanced capability, and widening the scope of its benefit in deployment for the overall public administration system transformation.
Prof. Tunji Olaopa delivering his goodwill message during the event.
He said that, for example, there should be sound explanation and resolution for the data verification lag discovered periodically, as in the discrepancies observed in personnel data generated with biometric checks, and those generated during physical verification.
Describing the launch as a heart-warming development, he said that it would allow over 600,000 civil servants to manage records, download payslips, and apply for leave digitally, from any location around the globe.
He noted that it would enable data-driven workforce planning and precise manpower forecasting.
He added that it would automate promotion tracking, disciplinary process logging, and grievance reporting.
“It is able to pair HR modules with structural frameworks like the Public Service Mentoring policy to bridge leadership succession gaps. It does mean that all hands must be on deck as we deploy creative change management strategies to transit from IPPIS as a monitoring tool to one owned by the workforce as personal asset.”, he said.
However, Olaopa stressed the importance of “appointing ‘digital ambassadors’ network of champions from the corps of tech-savvy junior and mid-level digital natives across the MDAs who will operate as local level help-service support to older officers and slow-learners, so they could catch up with the speed and timeline we envision for the employee self-service as a game changer in this whole dynamic.”
Olaopa noted that the launch was a culmination of a long journey in institutional reform. He recalled that he was the first IPPIS desk officer as the pioneer Director of Programmes at the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) when the IPPIS journey began with its initial conception in 2006, its pilot launch in 2007, and subsequent phased rollouts of partial modules.
“I am indeed delighted to have witnessed the unveiling of IPPIS modernised Employee Self-Service HR modules in June 2026, and now its official launch and the Go-Live event today.
“IPPIS has unarguably modernised personnel records and payroll information system in the federal service. This is not just in terms of the quantum of ghost workers that its biometric feature keeps eliminating. It has also pooled all workforce information that was in silos into a centralized database, while enabling automated monthly salary payments straight to employees’ bank accounts alongside transparent, direct third-party deductions like taxes, pensions, and cooperative dues.
Today we are going live as IPPIS deploys modern digital application features that enable civil servants to independently track records, generate payslips, and apply for annual leaves online”, he said.
Earlier, Walson-Jack said that the launch marked a significant milestone on the digital journey of the civil service.
Noting that the initiative aligned with the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, she said for the civil service to deliver its mandate effectively, it must be supported by systems. According to her, this is why the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has been supporting systems that optimise productivity.
A significant feature of the system, according to Walson-Jack, is that it would stop the trend of lobbying in the civil service and strengthen internal control and oversight.
She said that the system would also help in planning and enable civil servants to manage information.
While urging officers to correctly use the system, she said that permanent secretaries, directors and others should demonstrate the leadership that would ensure its integration.
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Tinubu Expands Nigerian Army To 12 Divisions, Recruits 28,000
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved 12 divisions for the Nigerian Army in a move to boost security.
The expansion of the Army’s structure from eight to twelve divisions is the first decisive step in many decades.
The landmark move is to enhance the country’s security architecture and improve the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army, President Tinubu who is the commande in Chief of the Armed forces said in a statement made available to Irohinoodua on Thursday.
The statement was signed by the President’s media adviser, Bayo Onanuga.
President Tinubu commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu, and all officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army for their dedication, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to defending Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tinubu said: “This approval underscores the President’s unwavering commitment to equipping the Armed Forces to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges effectively and to strengthen national defence capabilities further.”
He said the expansion builds on the Administration’s sustained investments in the Armed Forces, including approval for the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, acquisition of critical military platforms and equipment, improvements in troop welfare, and ongoing support for operational readiness and force modernisation.
Under the new structure, the Nigerian Army will operate twelve divisions, strategically positioned across the country as follows:
1 Division Headquarters – Kaduna (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States)
2 Division Headquarters – Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States)
3 Division Headquarters – Jos (Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe States)
5 Division Headquarters – Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi States)
6 Division Headquarters – Port Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States)
7 Division Headquarters – Maiduguri (Borno and Yobe States)
8 Division Headquarters – Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States)
9 Division Headquarters – Ilorin (Kwara and Niger States)
10 Division Headquarters – Jalingo (Taraba and Adamawa States)
81 Division Headquarters – Lagos (Lagos and Ogun States)
82 Division Headquarters – Enugu (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo States)
83 Division Headquarters – Benin City (Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States).
The President said the establishment of the new Divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City will significantly improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making, strengthen border security, enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure, improve counter-insurgency and internal security operations, and ensure faster military response to emerging threats nationwide.
Implementation of the new force structure will be done in two phases. The first phase, covering the establishment of the 5, 9, and 10 Divisions and the reorganisation of existing formations, will be completed by September 2026. The second phase, involving the establishment of the 83 Division and further reorganisation, is expected to be completed by December 2026.
The President reaffirmed his Administration’s determination to continue investing in the Armed Forces, ensuring they remain adequately equipped, highly motivated, and fully capable of protecting the nation and guaranteeing the safety and security of all Nigerians.
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Olaopa Urges Support For Policy Institutes
Prof. Tunji Olaopa (left) and the Chartered Institute of Development Studies and Administration of Nigeria President, Dr Elijah Ogbuokiri when he led a delegation of the institute to pay a courtesy visit to Prof. Olaopa in his office in Abuja.
The Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission ( FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has urged support for development and policy institutes in the country.
Olaopa made the appeal when the President of the Chartered Institute of Development Studies and Administration of Nigeria ( CIDSA) , Dr Elijah O. Ogbuokiri , led a delegation of the institute to his office in Abuja on Wednesday.Prof. Tunji Olaopa (left), Dr Elijah Ogbuokiri and his wife Mrs Uloma Ogbuokiri during the courtesy visit in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to him, such support has become necessary to break the trend of government depending on foreign policy bodies . He specifically decried a situation where in most cases, the most quoted statistics on development issues in Nigeria are from foreign institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund .
Olaopa described CIDSAN as a relevant multi-disciplinary body concerned with policy and administration.
According to Olaopa, the institute is relevant in light of his experience as a bureaucrat in 27 years in the federal civil service where he was involved in strategic policy making and leading public and education reforms.
He said that in the course of these engagements, he observed a huge lacuna in terms of the quality of support and problem solving for the federal bureaucracy by policy institutes.
He disclosed that it was to fill this vacuum that he set up the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy ( ISGPP) upon retirement before he left for the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies ( NIPSS).
He said that his experience at NIPSS confirmed what he observed earlier. He said that he observed that most of the institutions that contribute to policy making are faced with the same challenges in terms of capacity and funding.
Prof. Tunji Olaopa (fifth, left), Dr Elijah Ogbuokiri (sixth, left), Mrs Uloma Ogbuokiri ( seventh, left), Akwa Ibom and Cross River States’ Commissioner at the Federal Civil Service Commission, Dr Ededet Eyoma (third, left), Kogi and Kwara States’ Federal Commissioner at the FCSC, Mrs Rukiyat Odekunle ( fourth, left), Ms Chinyere Mbuko (first, left) , Dr Ayo Adeji ( second, left) and Mrs Victoria Ochunor ( first, right) during the courtesy visit.
Thus, for him, those in government who are involved in policy making owe the nation and government the responsibility of building national policy and development institutions through patronage. He said that these institutions need policy evangelists to deepen policy work to drive national projects.
According to him, this reliance on foreign policy bodies is seen in the adoption of best practices developed in socioeconomic contexts that are different from those of Nigeria.
But while acknowledging that there are some institutions making impact in terms of technical support in the private sector, he said that their theories of change are not largely applicable in the public sector.
He urged civil servants to invest in learning from policy institutes while they are in service. He said that while he was in service, he seized every opportunity available to learn from policy institutes locally and overseas.
Earlier, Dr Ogbuokiri said that he and his team were at the FCSC in order to forge a collaboration with the commission. He urged civil servants to join the institute and be trained as experts in different areas of development and policy .
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