‘No Legal Power, Capacity’ – Court Dissolves APC Chapters In UK, Other Countries

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday ordered the dissolution of the United Kingdom chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and all other foreign chapters of the ruling party.

Justice Peter Kekemeke, who delivered judgment in a suit instituted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), held that diaspora chapters of political parties registered in Nigeria were illegal, unconstitutional and unknown to Nigerian law.

The court also ordered the APC to transfer more than ₦30 million reportedly generated from the sale of forms by its foreign chapters to INEC, ruling that the party lacked the legal authority to raise the funds outside Nigeria.

The suit, marked CV/187/2025, was filed by INEC to challenge the establishment and operation of the APC’s UK chapter.

Justice Kekemeke held that no political party registered in Nigeria had the constitutional power to establish, maintain, supervise or recognise chapters outside the country’s territorial boundaries.

“The first defendant has no legal power and capacity to establish, hold, maintain, recognise, supervise or monitor, or receive, maintain or solicit funds from any person of its political party membership in the executive committee or governing council outside the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the judge ruled.

The court consequently ordered the APC to dissolve all executive committees, governing councils and other structures operating in the UK and other countries.

“The first defendant is hereby ordered to dissolve all executive committees or executive members, parties or governing bodies of the political party in the United Kingdom or anywhere in the diaspora outside the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the court ordered.

It also restrained the party from establishing or maintaining similar structures abroad.

The court ordered the APC to transfer more than ₦30m generated from the sale of forms connected with its diaspora congresses to INEC.

The commission had told the court that it intended to recover all funds allegedly collected unlawfully through the foreign chapters.

INEC estimated that the amount exceeded ₦30m.

Justice Kekemeke held that the APC lacked the legal capacity to raise or manage political party funds through structures located outside Nigeria.

The court further ruled that political parties must notify INEC of donations received from individuals or organisations outside the country and account for such funds within the constitutionally stipulated period.

“It is further declared that the first defendant is under a statutory and mandatory obligation to notify and account for all financial donations received from persons in the diaspora and organisations outside the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the second defendant within the 21-day timeframe stated under the Constitution,” the judge held.

The court clarified that Nigerians living abroad remained free to support, campaign and mobilise for their preferred candidates in Nigerian elections.

It, however, held that such political participation did not authorise Nigerian parties to create formal chapters, conduct congresses or maintain executive committees in foreign countries.

According to the court, political parties are constitutionally restricted to operating within Nigeria.

The judge also held that political parties could not organise or supervise congresses for Nigerians living abroad.

Justice Kekemeke ruled that any person or organisation that established, sponsored, promoted or managed a foreign chapter of a Nigerian political party could be committing an offence.

The court said individuals who chaired or managed such chapters and collected membership dues or financial contributions could be liable to a fine of ₦5 million and imprisonment.

It restrained the APC from “establishing, constituting and maintaining any section of its political party in the United Kingdom or anywhere in the diaspora outside the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

INEC had criticised the conduct of the APC’s UK congress, arguing that the exercise fell outside the constitutional and statutory framework governing political parties in Nigeria.

The court granted all 14 reliefs sought by the electoral commission, including five mandatory orders against the ruling party.