A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to restore the registration of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and recognize Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo alongside other members of the council’s Board of Trustees as the legitimate leadership of the organization.
The ruling was delivered on Friday by Justice Binta Nyako, who also ordered the immediate dissolution of the Interim Management Committee set up by the CAC and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to oversee the affairs of the youth body.
The court held that the commission acted beyond its statutory powers when it withdrew NYCN’s registration certificate and subsequently constituted an interim leadership structure for the organization.
The dispute dates back to October 2025 when the CAC withdrew the registration certificate earlier issued to the NYCN and, together with the Ministry of Youth Development, established a nine-member Interim Management Committee headed by Buhari Shehu.
Following the action, Sukubo and another claimant approached the Federal High Court, challenging the legality of the commission’s decision and questioning whether provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) relied upon by the CAC were consistent with constitutional guarantees of freedom of association.
In her judgment, Justice Nyako ruled that while the CAC possesses regulatory and supervisory authority over incorporated trustees, those powers do not extend to determining leadership disputes or replacing existing leadership structures while such matters are already before the courts.
According to the judge, regulatory oversight does not give the commission the authority to effectively decide who should govern an organization when the issue is the subject of ongoing litigation.
“The real question is whether those powers extend to the wholesale displacement of existing leadership structures,” the judge held.
She noted that the disputes surrounding the leadership and trusteeship of the NYCN were already before courts of competent jurisdiction, making it inappropriate for an administrative agency to take actions capable of influencing or pre-empting judicial decisions.
Justice Nyako stated that the CAC could investigate, supervise compliance and make inquiries into the affairs of an association, but could not assume the role of a court by installing an alternative leadership structure.
The court found that the withdrawal of the NYCN certificate and the appointment of an Interim Management Committee effectively altered the status quo and interfered with matters awaiting judicial determination.
As a result, the court nullified the deregistration of the youth council and ordered the immediate restoration of its registration certificate.
The judge further directed the CAC to recognize Ambassador Sukubo and other duly registered trustees as the legitimate Board of Trustees of the organization and restore the position that existed before the intervention by the commission and the Ministry of Youth Development.
Justice Nyako also advised all parties to await the outcome of the appeal currently pending before the Court of Appeal regarding the broader leadership dispute.
The judgment represents a significant legal victory for the Sukubo-led faction of the NYCN and reaffirms judicial oversight over disputes involving incorporated associations and trusteeship matters.
