The legal confrontation between Chronicles Reporters News Limited and the Gwagwalada Area Council over access to public records has crossed a critical judicial threshold, as the FCT High Court 39, Gwagwalada, on Thursday 5th February 2026, granted leave for full judicial review proceedings in the matter.
The case, Chronicles Reporters News Limited v. The Executive Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council & Anor, SUIT NO: M/166/2026, came up before Hon. Justice K. Ogunloye for hearing of the Motion Ex Parte seeking leave to apply for Judicial Review by way of an Order of Mandamus.
The application aims to compel the Executive Chairman of the Gwagwalada Area Council to release governance and financial records in his custody, as required under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
At the hearing, Peter Chidiebere Nworie Esq. appeared for the Applicant, Chronicles Reporters News Limited. The media organisation was physically present in court, represented by, Comrade Manasseh B.P, alongside two other officials of the EFCC/ICPC and the Press.
When the matter was called, counsel to the Applicant informed the court of readiness to move the Motion Ex Parte. The application was duly moved, outlining the Council’s repeated failure to comply with statutory FOI requests despite acknowledgment, extensions, and a formal pre-action notice.
After reviewing the application and accompanying processes, Hon. Justice K. Ogunloye, having found merit in the request, granted the application as prayed.
The court consequently ordered the Applicant to file and serve a Motion on Notice on the Respondents, effectively bringing the Gwagwalada Area Council and its Executive Chairman formally into the proceedings to respond to the allegations of unlawful refusal and administrative obstruction.
The matter was thereafter adjourned to 23rd March, 2026, for further proceedings.
The ruling marks a decisive escalation in a dispute that has drawn widespread public attention in Gwagwalada and beyond. By granting leave for judicial review, the court has affirmed that the claims raised by Chronicles Reporters are not frivolous and deserve to be tested in open court.
At the centre of the case is the Council’s failure to disclose records covering 2021–2024, including:
• Audited financial accounts
• Procurement and contract award documents
• Human resource and payroll records
• Reports on public projects and service delivery
Despite multiple FOI requests and written assurances of compliance by the Council, no records were released, prompting the newsroom to seek judicial intervention.
Legal observers note that once a court grants leave in a mandamus action, the Respondents are placed under intense scrutiny. The next phase, the Motion on Notice, will require the Council to either justify its refusal under law or face the prospect of a binding order compelling disclosure.
For residents of Gwagwalada, civil society groups, and transparency advocates, the development reinforces the view that the judiciary may yet play a decisive role in breaking what many describe as entrenched secrecy at the local government level.
Speaking after the court session, representatives of Chronicles Reporters reiterated that the action is not personal or political, but rooted in the public’s right to know.
“This process is about records, accountability, and the rule of law,” a newsroom official said. “If public funds were properly managed, the documents will speak for themselves.”
As the case heads toward 23rd March 2026, attention now shifts to how the Gwagwalada Area Council will respond when formally called upon by the court.
For Chronicles Reporters, the courtroom remains a crucial extension of investigative journalism, a place where facts, law, and public interest converge, and where the limits of secrecy in grassroots governance are being decisively tested.