The Ikoyi Marriage Registry, Lagos; Federal High Court Marriage Registry and the Federal Marriage Registry were beehive of activities for intending couples, their relations and well-wishers during the week despite the reported judgment by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos which allegedly declared marriages conducted by such centres as illegal and invalid.
The purported court judgment generated controversies, but findings by Daily Trust on Sunday have revealed that the court did not nullify marriages conducted by federal registries as was widely reported.
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However, would-be couples seem not to be moved by the said judgment as the facility of Ikoyi Marriage Registry was filled with celebrants and well-wishers on Thursday when our correspondent visited. There were no fewer than 50 marriages that were contracted.
“You can see that we have an overflow out of the premises of the registry and we are struggling to attend to all the couples who have indicated to get married today. Nothing has changed since the judgment,” an official who spoke on condition of anonymity told our correspondent.
Some of the intending couples also said that they had heard of the court’s decision but stressed that it had not been enforced.
The D Line Port Harcourt office of the Federal Marriage Registry was occupied with prospective couples who were concluding marriage arrangements when our correspondent visited.
Some of the intending couples who spoke with our reporter said they had been assured by the registry’s staff that the court ruling would not in any way affect their marriage plans.
An intending groom, John Ame, said he had paid all the necessary fees for his court wedding which he noted came up on December 23.
“When the news broke out about the closure of marriages conducted by the Federal Marriage Registry, I was very disturbed because I was in the process of concluding all the arrangements involved as it concerns my marriage. But we were assured that everything will work out well as planned; so there is no fear, our marriage will hold as scheduled,” he said.
A man who said he wedded in October, 2021, explained that his marriage at the court stood and that he had no fears.
“I got married in October and everything went well. When this issue of cancellation and closure came up we were told that everything concerning the Federal Marriage Registry had been sorted out. So I have no fear that my wedding which took place in October will be nullified,” he said.
However, another “groom”, Michael Johnbull, expressed fear over the purported court judgment.
“The court’s decision to close Federal High Court marriages will not go down well with those who have registered for marriage. No one will challenge the decision of the court, but I don’t think that this decision is good for many people,” he said.
A staff of the Federal Marriage Registry, Port Harcourt, who pleaded anonymity, said the agency had witnessed a huge turnout of intending couples.
He said so many couples had registered for marriage noting that “mischievous elements” were using social media to circulate fake news on the matter.
He said the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Interior had issued a press statement which he set the record straight.
Our reporter who visited the Federal Marriage Registry in Benin observed that five marriages were being contracted.
A resident of Benin, Mr John Osahon, who spoke on the development, said, “As you can see, many marriages are taking place now, so I don’t think there is anything like that. The couples were given today’s date and you can see that their marriages are going on now.”
An official who didn’t disclose his name told our reporter that the federal government had already addressed the issue.
What the court actually said
The Federal High Court in Lagos has not barred the federal government-owned marriage registries of Ikoyi, Lagos, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from further contracting marriages under the Marriage Act 2004.
It, however, perpetually restrained the federal government through the Minister of Interior from further contracting marriages under the Marriage Act 2004 within four local government councils in four states.
The councils are Eti-Osa (Lagos), Egor (Edo), Owerri Municipal (Imo) and Port Harcourt in Rivers.
The orders are contained in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment of Justice Daniel Osiagor delivered on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, seen by our correspondent on December 15.
The four plaintiffs in the suit marked “FHC/ LS/CS/816/18 are Eti-Osa Local Government Council Area, Lagos State; Egor Local Government Council Area, Edo State; Owerri Municipal Local Government Council Area, Imo State and Port Harcourt City Local Government Council Area, Rivers State.”
The three defendants are the Minister of Interior; Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; and a firm, Anchor Dataware Solutions Limited (party joined by order of the court on April 9, 2019).
Justice Osiagor, however, refused to direct the Minister of Interior to return all marriage certificates issued within the respective plaintiffs’ local government councils since June 8, 2004, as demanded by the plaintiffs.
The judge also refused to order the Minister of Interior to return all the fees/money paid by couples since June 8, 2004, to the plaintiffs’ marriage registries for re-issuance.
Regarding the plaintiffs’ prayer for an order sealing all federal marriage registries in their local governments, the judge granted the prayer in part.
He granted the prayer to the extent that there shall be no Federal Marriage Registry in the Marriage Districts (Local Government Councils) save Ikoyi and Abuja Federal Marriage Registry which predate the 1999 Constitution.
The order, the court held, is without prejudice to the Minister of Interior’s “exclusive powers” to issue licenses to places of public worship to celebrate marriages all over the federation.
The court ordered on the plaintiffs’ seven prayers are as follows:
“Relief 1 granted as follows: AN ORDER of Perpetual Injunction restraining the 1st Defendant himself and/or either by his privies, agents or delegates from further contracting marriages under the Marriage Act, Cap. M6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004 within the Plaintiffs’ Local Government Councils Area. Except marriages conducted in the Marriage Registries of Ikoyi Lagos and Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
“Relief 2 granted as follows: AN ORDER of Perpetual Injunction restraining the 1st Defendant himself and/or either by his privies, agents or delegates from further celebrating marriages under the Marriage Act, Cap. M6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN). 2004 within the Plaintiffs Local Government Councils Area. Except marriages conducted in the Marriage Registries of Ikoyi Lagos and Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
“Relief 3 granted as follows: AN ORDER of Perpetual Injunction restraining the 1st Defendant himself and/or either by his privies, agents or delegates from further granting or issuing certificates of marriage under the Marriage Act, Cap. M6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004 within the Plaintiffs’ Local Government Councils Area. Except marriages conducted in the Marriage Registries of Ikoyi Lagos and Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
“Relief 4 granted as follows: AN ORDER of Perpetual Injunction restraining the 1st Defendant himself and/or either by his privies, agents or delegates from further registering marriages contracted and/or celebrated under the Marriage Act, Cap. M6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004 within the Plaintiffs’ Local Government Councils Area. Except marriages conducted in the Marriage Registries of Ikoyi Lagos and Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
“Reliefs 5 & 6 refused.
“Relief 7 granted to the extent that there shall be no Federal Marriage Registry in the Marriage Districts (Local Government Councils) save Ikoyi and Abuja Federal Marriage Registry predating the 1999 Constitution without prejudice to 1st Defendants exclusive powers to issue license to places of public worship to celebrate marriages all over the Federation.
Mixed feelings in Abuja
Our reporter who was at the premises of the Federal Marriage Registry, Abuja, reported that dozens of intending couples, families, associates, as well as entertainers, were seen in the premises.
A groom, Adeleke Elaija, said he was not aware of the purported order given by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Asked why he chose tying the knot at the marriage registry instead of a church, he said having legal backing was what motivated him to marry at the centre.
Our correspondent further reports that scores of intending couples at the Abuja registry feigned ignorance of the court order.
However, when our reporter sought the audience of officials at the registry, he was instead led to a notice board where a circular debunking the purported order was placed.
Registry deserted in Kano
Following the recent court judgment, the registry in Kano has been deserted with no staff sighted when our correspondent visited.
During a couple of visits by Daily Trust on Sunday to the Ministry of Interior no staff or client was seen from the gate of the building and inside any of the offices.
From Adelanwa Bamgboye (Lagos), Victor Edozie (Port Harcourt), Usman A. Bello (Benin), Salim Umar Ibrahim (Kano) & Dalhatu Liman
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