A fresh dispute has erupted between the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development following reports that the Council’s certificate of incorporation had been withdrawn and an interim management team appointed.

The NYCN, in a statement signed by its President, Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, described the move as unlawful and beyond the powers of both the ministry and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Sukubo insisted that his leadership remains the only legitimate and lawfully constituted authority of the Council as recognised by a subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court.

He referenced Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1553/2022 — Incorporated Trustees of the National Youth Council of Nigeria & 4 Ors vs Corporate Affairs Commission & 3 Ors — in which Justice D.U. Okorowo upheld the validity of the Council’s incorporation certificate and affirmed the Sukubo-led executive as legitimate.

> “The leadership of the NYCN under Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo was duly recognised and affirmed as the legitimate and lawfully constituted leadership of the Council, and the incorporation certificate was upheld,” the statement read in part.

According to the NYCN, the same case is now before the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/13081/2023, where both the CAC and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development are listed as respondents.

The Council maintained that, given the pending appeal, any administrative action affecting its legal status would amount to interference in a matter still under judicial consideration.

“The law is clear that no individual, group, or government agency has the power to override or pre-empt the decision of a competent court of law,” Sukubo said, accusing the Registrar-General of the CAC and the Minister of Youth Development of acting prematurely.

The NYCN, therefore, urged its state chapters, zonal coordinators, affiliate bodies, and Nigerian youths across the country to disregard any publication or pronouncement purporting to dissolve or replace the existing leadership.

It further maintained that the Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Okorowo, which validated the Council’s incorporation certificate, remains valid until overturned by a higher court.

“The leadership of Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo remains legitimate and binding in law and in fact,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth Development and the CAC have yet to issue formal statements in response to the allegations as of press time.

The NYCN appealed to its members to remain calm and law-abiding while focusing on the Council’s objectives in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.