THE INTEREST TO BE SHOWN BY AN INTERESTED PERSON IN ORDER TO APPEAL A DECISION.

THE INTEREST TO BE SHOWN BY AN INTERESTED PERSON IN ORDER TO APPEAL A DECISION. 

by Branham Chima. 
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To ask the court for permission to appeal a decision, a person must have a real and legal interest in the matter that affects them negatively. They need to prove that the decision harms their interest and that they are affected by it. In simple terms, they must show that they are upset or affected by a decision that has wrongly denied them something or affected what belongs to them. 

This position was encapsulated in the Nigeria Supreme Court case of Abdullahi v. Nigerian Army (SC.433/2010(R), 25 MAY 2018) per K.B. Aka’ahs JSC. thus: ‘The interest which will support an application for leave to appeal as interested party must be genuine and legally recognisable interest in respect of a decision which prejudicially affects such a person. And for a person to qualify as a person interested, the applicant must show not only that he is a person having interest in the matter but also that the order or judgement of the Court below which he is seeking leave to appeal against prejudicially affects his interest. In other words, to succeed in the application, the applicants must show that they are persons who are aggrieved or persons against whom decisions have been produced which have wrongfully refused them something or wrongly affected their title to something. See: Nwaogu v. Atuma (2013) All FWLR (Pt. 669) 1022, In re: Ugadu (1988) 5 NWLR (Pt. 93) 189 at 202 per Karibi Whyte JSC; Usanga and Ors v. Okada and Ors (1964) 1 All NLR 36; Ikonne v. Commissioner of Police (1986) 4 NWLR (Pt. 36) 473; Dairo v. Gbadamosi In re: Afolabi (1987) 4 NWLR (Pt. 63) 18 and Ademola v. Sodipo (1992) 7 NWLR (Pt. 253) 260 261.’ 

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