The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has dismissed reports of a purported withdrawal of its registration certificate and the appointment of an interim management team by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, describing the move as unlawful and contemptuous of a subsisting court judgement.
In a statement signed by its President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, the Council reaffirmed that his leadership remains the legally recognised and duly constituted authority of the NYCN.
Sukubo recalled that the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice D.U. Okorowo, had in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1553/2022 affirmed the legitimacy of the NYCN’s incorporation certificate and upheld his leadership as the valid one under law.
According to him, the same matter is now before the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/13081/2023, where both the CAC and the Ministry of Youth Development are parties. He argued that any action by the agencies to revoke the council’s registration or install an interim team amounts to “a direct affront to judicial authority.
“The law is clear that no individual, group, or government agency has the power to override the decisions of a competent court of law. What we are seeing is a classic case of resorting to self-help,” Sukubo said.
The NYCN, which serves as the umbrella body for youth organisations across Nigeria, urged its members nationwide to disregard what it called “false publications and illegal pronouncements” regarding a leadership change.
Sukubo emphasised that the judgment of Justice Okorowo remains valid and binding until overturned by a higher court, insisting that his leadership “remains sacrosanct and legitimate in both law and fact.”
He further called on Nigerian youths to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring them that the council will continue to align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, aimed at building “a stronger, united, and progressive youth movement.”
