Court declares all weddings conducted at Ikoyi Registry, others illegal and invalid
………FG to appeal judgement, source
All marriages conducted at the Ikoyi registry and all other federal marriage registries have been declared illegal and invalid by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
The court which was presided over by Justice D. E. Osiagor, held that it was unconstitutional for the federal government to conduct marriages, stressing that only the local government marriage registries were empowered to do such by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The Judge maintained that the acts of the federal government through the Ministry of Interior, operating marriage registries was beyond their powers and held that all marriages conducted by federal marriage registries or through their agents were illegal and invalid.
He consequently ordered the closure of all federal marriage registries opened by the ministry, including that of Ikoyi marriage registry with immediate effect.
The development follows disputes between some local government areas in Nigeria and the federal government on who has the power to operate marriage registries, conduct marriages and issue marriage certificates.
LGAs had insisted that their powers to register marriages, which were statutorily provided were being usurped by the federal government through the Ministry of Interior. This, made the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State to head to court, where it sought an order to take over the popular Ikoyi Marriage Registry being operated by the Ministry of Interior, on the grounds that the federal government, through the ministry, had no business operating a marriage registry.
The suit marked FHC/ LS/CS/816/18, which had the Ministry of Interior and Attorney General of the Federation as defendants, accused the ministry of usurping the local government power to conduct marriages and issue marriage certificates.
It also prayed the court to declare that the federal government has no business in the conduction of marriages and issuing marriage certificates and therefore order the closure of all marriage registries opened and operated by the Federal Ministry of Interior or through their agents, including that of the Ikoyi registry.
The court thereafter granted their prayers, ruling that only the local governments have the power to conduct marriages in Nigeria.
In the meantime, sources close to Standard Times reveal that the Ministry of Interior will appeal the judgement.
The source who doesn’t want his name mentioned said the ministry will direct its legal department to look into the judgement and file appeal immediately
