The National Industrial Court sitting in Awka has nullified the dismissal of Mr Patrick Ikenna by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ruling that the termination breached his constitutional right to fair hearing.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, Presiding Judge Justice John Targema faulted INEC, its Chairman, Secretary, the Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner, and the Administrative Secretary for acting in bad faith and exceeding their constitutional powers.
Justice Targema held that INEC and the other defendants failed to follow due process as outlined in the Civil Service Rules and INEC’s Disciplinary Procedures Manual when they dismissed Mr. Ikenna without stating his alleged offence or affording him an opportunity to defend himself. The court ordered INEC to reinstate him to his position with full benefits, entitlements, rights, and promotions accrued since his dismissal.
Court records show that Mr. Ikenna was first employed as a Clerical Officer Grade 1 on Salary Grade Level 05 before being promoted to Assistant Executive Officer (AEO) on Grade Level 06 effective 8 July 2013. He told the court that after his dismissal, staff members he had trained were retained without interviews, while his termination letter, signed by the INEC Administrative Secretary in Anambra State, gave no specific reason beyond citing “General Inefficiency.”
Mr. Ikenna further testified that repeated requests for the defendants to clarify his alleged offence and allow him a fair hearing were ignored. His counsel, Dr. Okechukwu Nwankwo, argued that the Public Officers Protection Act could not bar the court from hearing the case on its merits.
In their defence, INEC and the other respondents contended that Ikenna’s employment had never been formally authorised by its headquarters, insisting that appointments and terminations in Anambra State had been carried out without proper approval. They also argued that the suit was statute-barred, as it was filed beyond the three-month limit provided by law.
Justice Targema dismissed these objections, ruling that Ikenna had been denied both fair hearing and due process. “No query was issued, no specific offence was alleged, and the termination letter merely stated ‘General Inefficiency’, which shows bad faith and abuse of office,” the judge declared.
He further emphasised that public officers cannot rely on the Public Officers Protection Act when they act outside the scope of their lawful authority.
Quoting Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution and INEC’s Staff Conditions of Service, Justice Targema declared the termination null, void, and of no effect. He ordered Ikenna’s immediate reinstatement with full compensation.
