The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to reinstate Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo and other members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), declaring the commission’s actions against the youth body unlawful.
Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Binta Nyako held that the CAC lacks the statutory authority to determine the tenure of leaders of registered associations or constitute an Interim Management Committee to oversee their affairs.
The court ruled that the commission exceeded its powers when it deregistered the NYCN and subsequently established an interim caretaker arrangement to manage the organisation.
Justice Nyako consequently nullified the deregistration of the NYCN and ordered the restoration of the status quo ante.
The court further directed the CAC to immediately reinstate the council, recognise Ambassador Sukubo and other duly registered trustees as the legitimate leadership of the Board of Trustees, and dissolve the Interim Management Committee set up by the commission.
According to the judgment, the CAC, as a regulatory agency, is empowered to oversee compliance with statutory requirements but does not possess the authority to interfere in the internal leadership structure of registered associations by determining tenures or appointing interim administrators.
The ruling effectively restores the Sukubo-led Board of Trustees and the previous leadership structure of the National Youth Council of Nigeria pending any further legal proceedings.
