A Lagos High Court has ruled that marriage certificates issued by Local Government Council registries in the country are unconstitutional and illegal.
Hon. Justice Ibironke Harrison of Lagos High Court, Igbosere Division, in a hearing on Monday, May 15, 2017, delivered a judgment declaring the marriage certificates issued by all local governments in the country illegal.
The Judge also restrained the LGs from further issuance of ‘Local Government Unified Marriage Certificate’ to Nigerians.
The judgment was delivered after Consumer Rights lawyer, Olumide Babalola, Esq. filed a case at the Court with Ikeja Local Government and Association of Local Governments of Nigerian (ALGON) the 1st and 2nd Defendants.
According to a report by The Nigerian Lawyer, Hon. Justice Harrison in making his order declared that the Ikeja Local Government does not have powers to issue modified and/or customized marriage certificates different from the ones provided in Form E under section 24 of the Marriage Act, LFN 1990.
The Court ordered that the 2nd Defendant, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria’s (ALGON) ‘Local Government Unified Marriage Certificate’ is unknown to our law, unconstitutional, null and void.
Also, the Court ordered the perpetual injunction restraining Ikeja Local Government and Association of Local Governments of Nigerian (ALGON), their agents, officers, employees and representatives from further issuing modified and/or alter marriage certificate apart from the form as provided under Form E (1st schedule) and section 24 of the Marriage Act, LFN 1990.
Furthermore, the Court restrains the Association of Local Governments of Nigerian (ALGON), their agents, officers, employees and representatives from further issuing ‘Local Government Unified Marriage Certificates’.
In addition, Hon. Justice Harrison ordered that all modified marriage certificates issued by the Defendants be surrendered to the appropriate local government where the marriage was conducted with an appropriate certificate in line with Form E be re-issued to all concerned persons including Olumide Babalola, Esq.
As a result of the judgment, intending couples are to ensure that the type of certificates issued to them by local government marriage registries conform with the one issued by the Federal Marriage Registry in Form E.
For already married couples, they are to return their irregular and illegal marriage certificates to the local government areas in exchange for the proper ones.