CAMA Under Fire As CSOs Challenge CAC Powers Over ‘Threat To Civic Freedom’
Princess-Ekwi Ajide
In a growing pushback against laws seen as shrinking Nigeria’s civic space, a coalition of civil society organisations has taken legal action against controversial provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, warning that unchecked regulatory powers could undermine constitutional freedoms.
At a media roundtable in Abuja on Friday, Global Rights, alongside TAP Initiative, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), and the Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI) Nigeria, argued that sections of the law grant excessive authority to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) without adequate judicial oversight.
The groups specifically challenged Sections 824, 824(4), 850(1)(d), and 850(2)(e) of CAMA 2020, which empower the CAC to classify associations, determine objections to trustees, and dissolve organisations or withdraw registrations.
Speaking at the event, Global Rights Project Manager, Noya Sedi, said the lawsuit goes beyond protecting CSOs, stressing that any law capable of restricting civil liberties should concern all Nigerians.
“The goal is to ensure that regulatory authority under CAMA remains within constitutional boundaries and does not unjustifiably limit the independence of non-profits and incorporated trustees,” she said.
Legal counsel to the plaintiffs, Prof. Sam Erugo (SAN), argued that the disputed provisions violate the constitutional right to fair hearing by allowing the CAC to impose sanctions without court intervention.
He criticised the Federal High Court’s dismissal of the case in October 2025 on grounds of locus standi, noting that the legal team has already appealed the ruling.
Also speaking, Barrister Innocent Lagi described the current framework as one that makes the CAC “the complainant, prosecutor, and judge,” insisting that organisations accused of wrongdoing deserve impartial hearings before a competent court.
The coalition maintained that sanctions such as fines, dissolution, or withdrawal of registration should only follow judicial determination, warning that administrative overreach could threaten democratic freedoms and civic participation in Nigeria.
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