Nigeria, Oct. 3 -- The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court judgement that nullified several provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020, which gave the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) powers over incorporated trustees, including religious and other associations.

A three-member panel, in a unanimous judgement, held that sections 839, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847 and 848 of CAMA infringed upon constitutionally protected rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, association, and peaceful assembly.

The court also affirmed that Emmanuel Ekpenyong, a constitutional lawyer with Fred Young & Evans LP, had the legal standing to challenge the provisions after he argued that they infringed on h...