ABUJA — The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has come under intense scrutiny following a formal petition alleging severe breaches of its electronic registration portal and statutory procedures.  

​The petition, addressed to the Registrar-General of the CAC, centers on the controversial registration of two separate incorporated trustees bearing the exact same name within less than a month of each other. Legal practitioners argue that the anomaly directly violates the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.  

​The Petition and Allegations

​The petition, filed by the law firm Oshomegie & Co. on behalf of trustees Maliki Sylvanus Esikhotse Okuyelegbegbe and Maliki Iyafokhai John, demands the immediate cancellation and delisting of the UKU Secondary Commercial School Alumni Association (registered under Registration Number 9372207).  

​According to the legal documents, the CAC had earlier incorporated an association with the identical name under Registration Number 9273595 on February 2, 2026. However, just 24 days later—on February 26, 2026—the commission reportedly approved and registered a second association carrying the exact same nomenclature.  

​The petitioners’ solicitors argued that the subsequent registration has no connection whatsoever to their clients' association. They contended that permitting two distinct incorporated bodies to operate under identical names breeds administrative confusion and heavily compromises the credibility of Nigeria’s corporate database.  

​Breach of CAMA 2020 Provisions

​Lawyers representing the aggrieved trustees pointed out that the duplicate registration runs foul of Section 852(1)(a) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020. The statute explicitly prohibits the registration of an incorporated trustee under a name that is identical to an already existing entity, or one that is deceptive and misleading.  

​Public portal searches independently confirmed the existence of both conflicting records, triggering widespread concern among legal experts regarding the efficacy of the commission's automated name-matching and approval controls.  

​Demands for Rectification

​The petition urges the leadership of the CAC to urgently withdraw the certificate allegedly issued in error and purge the duplicate record from its portal.  

​The legal team emphasized that the commission carries a statutory obligation not only to block the initial creation of identical or conflicting names but also to swiftly rectify administrative blunders when brought to light. The petition warned that failure to correct the error could introduce profound legal uncertainty surrounding institutional identities and operational rights.  

​As of press time, officials at the Corporate Affairs Commission have yet to issue an official statement addressing the security and workflow gaps highlighted in the petition.