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Supreme Court Upholds APP’s Registration, Ends Deregistration Battle Ahead of 2027 Elections

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BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The Supreme Court has brought an end to the legal dispute over the status of the Action Peoples Party (APP), affirming that the party remains duly registered and eligible to take part in the 2027 general elections.

The apex court struck out Appeal No. SC/CV/248/2026 after the appellant, Mr Blessing Elujiuba, voluntarily withdrew the case, bringing the challenge to a close.

This decision leaves intact earlier judgments delivered by both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had upheld the party’s legal recognition.

The ruling was delivered on May 12, 2026, by a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Inyang Okoro, who noted that the matter was withdrawn without objection from other parties.

The court subsequently dismissed the appeal following its withdrawal, formally ending the proceedings at the apex level of the judiciary.

The case involved the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Action Peoples Party (APP), and the party’s National Chairman, Uche Kingsley Nnadi.

The initial legal action had sought to force INEC to remove APP from its register on the allegation that it failed to meet constitutional requirements under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.

However, earlier rulings had found that APP met the necessary legal conditions for continued registration, citing evidence of electoral participation and victories at local government level.

The courts also upheld the interpretation that fulfilling any of the conditions outlined in Section 225A is sufficient for a political party to retain its registration status.

With all tiers of the judiciary aligned in its favour, APP’s legal standing remains intact, clearing the party to continue preparations for the 2027 elections without any outstanding court challenge.

The post Supreme Court Upholds APP’s Registration, Ends Deregistration Battle Ahead of 2027 Elections appeared first on Business Today NG.

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BREAKING: Dangote Refinery sets minimum subscription for $1.6 billion IPO

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Dangote Refinery has completed the endorsement of the offer documents for its initial public offering, putting it on course to launch the $1.6 billion public equity sale, regarded as Africa’s largest ever, next week.

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and owner of the 700,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) plant, led the sign-off ceremony in Lagos on Monday in the presence of advisers and other parties to the pan-African offering, which aspires to source about N2.2 trillion from investors.

The minimum subscription of the offer is 10 ordinary shares, translating to N5,250, Mr Dangote told the event.

Lagos-based Vetiva Advisory Services Limited is coordinating the capital raise.

The ceremony follows a key approval by the capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), last week, with 4.1 billion shares up for subscription at N525 ($0.40) per unit.

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The maiden share offer values the refinery at nearly $50 billion, and plans to plough the proceeds into doubling the current capacity of the facility, which lies on a 6,180-acre expanse on the outskirts of Lagos, to 1.4 million bpd.

That could lift the market capitalisation of the Nigerian Exchange by more than one third when the shares are listed on the local bourse later this year.

A cross-border listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the continent’s biggest bourse, is in the works, just as the company is giving thought to quoting the stock in Egypt, Kenya, Ghana and Rwanda.

In July, a private placement heralding the IPO raised $2.5 billion from institutional investors and HNIs, oversubscribed by 270 per cent.

Unmet demand from the private share sale could find its way into the IPO, which, long before its approval was announced, had drawn vast interest across Nigeria, where the SEC was impelled in June to stop all the marketing related to the share sale.

The regulator’s action followed reports that many retail investors, including those with little or no knowledge of how equity investment works, were already opening trading accounts ahead of the IPO.

Nevertheless, investor appetite is growing fast beyond retail level, with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) which according to Bloomberg on Monday, was said to have opened conversations with the refinery towards buying a stake in it.

The global media outlet, citing interviews with sources, noted that an insider at ADNOC said Dangote Refinery has also received approaches from other big investors.

READ ALSO: AFC leads investment in Dangote Refinery’s $2.5bn private placement

Potential model for aspiring companies

The IPO’s launch on 14 September will ride on the improved liquidity Nigeria expects to attract from foreign portfolio capital, following the country’s restoration to frontier market status by FTSE Russell after a near-three-year downgrade that bogged it down under unclassified market status, consequently deterring international investors.

Likewise, an IPO on this scale could offer a template to similarly big Nigerian companies raring to become public quoted firms and, by so doing, unlock access to financing through the capital market.

State-owned energy company NNPC Limited has been fiddling with the idea of going public and holding an IPO since 2021 after transitioning into gaining limited liability status, reviving the talks around the push last November.

The company, whose public image has long been marred by opacity in its operations and lack of transparency in publishing its accounts, may borrow a leaf from Dangote Refinery’s listing.

In June, the refinery, which commenced production in January 2024, toppled the US to become the biggest external supplier of jet fuel to Europe, maintaining the feat in July.


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NGX N-Zero Begins Corporate Climate Baseline Assessments

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Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) has commenced corporate baseline assessments under its N-Zero initiative, marking the next phase of its effort to help Nigerian businesses strengthen climate readiness, develop credible net-zero pathways and position for emerging opportunities in climate-aligned capital.

Launched in January in partnership with DEG Impulse gGmbH and Africa Foresight Group (AFG), N-Zero is designed to support companies in moving from climate ambition to practical action by strengthening their capabilities in climate strategy, emissions measurement, transition planning and access to emerging carbon-market opportunities.

The baseline assessment will establish each participating company’s starting point and provide a structured view of its readiness across key areas, including climate-risk management, emissions measurement and reporting, target-setting, transition planning, technical capabilities and understanding of carbon-market opportunities. The findings will identify priority gaps and inform tailored support for each company.

Since its launch, N-Zero has engaged more than 50 companies across key sectors of the economy, with 17 formally onboarded as community members and more than 100 companies receiving the baseline survey. Current community members include Access Holdings, Dangote Cement, United Bank for Africa, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, First HoldCo, Fidelity Bank, Zenith Bank, Wema Bank, NEM Insurance, Chapel Hill Denham, BUA Cement, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Presco, Oando, HBM Nigeria, Seplat Energy and Skyway Aviation Handling Company, with further companies being engaged as the initiative expands.

Commenting on the development, Temi Popoola, GMD/CEO, NGX Group, said:

“The transition to a net-zero economy is increasingly becoming a factor in competitiveness, investor confidence and access to capital. Nigerian businesses therefore need to move beyond climate ambition to demonstrate measurable and credible progress. N-Zero is designed to help companies understand where they stand today, identify the gaps that matter most and build practical pathways towards where they need to be. The baseline assessment is a critical step because it gives us the evidence and insight required to tailor support and help participating companies turn climate intent into measurable action and long-term value.”

Following the baseline exercise, companies will undergo needs assessments combining digital diagnostics with expert technical review to determine their readiness levels, identify priority gaps for intervention and define the next steps towards credible climate targets, transition plans and implementation.

N-Zero is structured as a progression from awareness and assessment to target setting, transition planning, validation, implementation and impact tracking. This approach is intended to help companies strengthen internal capabilities while identifying commercial opportunities arising from the transition to a lower-carbon economy.

Under the 2026 roadmap, baseline analysis and initial needs assessments are expected to conclude in September, followed by partner-led sessions and tailored support packages in October and November. The broader programme targets include supporting participating companies to develop science-aligned targets and transition plans, assess emissions-reduction potential, facilitate eligible carbon-offsetting projects and track progress towards the reduction or avoidance of approximately 20,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent (tCO₂e) emissions.

For NGX Group, the initiative also supports the development of a more climate-ready corporate sector and a capital market better positioned to respond to the risks and opportunities associated with the global transition to a lower-carbon economy.

As N-Zero enters this next phase, its focus is clear: establishing a measurable baseline for corporate climate readiness and helping Nigerian businesses move from commitment to credible, verifiable action.

The post NGX N-Zero Begins Corporate Climate Baseline Assessments appeared first on Business Today NG.

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