There is commotion in many homes as the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ruled that the federal government has no constitutional right to conduct marriages
By this ruling, marriages conducted at Federal Marriage Registries, including Ikoyi Registry, have been declared invalid
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, ruled that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to conduct marriages.
Justice D. E. Osiagor, who presided over the court held that only the local government marriage registries are empowered by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to conduct marriages.
According to Osiagor, the conduct of marriages and issuance of certificates are statutorily the job of the local governments as provided by the law.
The judge stated that the acts of the federal government through the Ministry of Interior, operating marriage registries is beyond their powers and held that all marriages conducted by federal marriage registries or through their agents are illegal and invalid.
He consequently, with immediate effect, ordered the closure of all federal marriage registries opened by the ministry, including that of Ikoyi marriage registry,
There has been a running legal battle between some local government areas in Nigeria against the federal government over who has the power to operate marriage registries, conduct marriages and issue marriage certificates.
The LGAs had insisted that their power to register marriages was being taken over by the federal government through the Ministry of Interior.
Following this, the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State went 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.
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