Atiku Camp Rejects Court-Ordered ADC Deregistration, Alleges Plot to Cripple Opposition

Atiku Camp Rejects Court-Ordered ADC Deregistration, Alleges Plot to Cripple Opposition

ABUJA — The camp of former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has strongly condemned the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the deregistration of the party, describing the ruling as a dangerous attempt to weaken opposition forces and entrench a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The reaction was conveyed on Monday by Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, who argued that the judgment was delivered in defiance of a subsisting order of the Court of Appeal and amounted to what he termed “judicial rascality.”

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had earlier ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties — the Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The judgment, delivered in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, followed a legal action instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators. The plaintiffs argued that the affected parties failed to satisfy constitutional and statutory requirements for continued registration, including winning elective positions or securing at least 25 per cent of votes in any state during the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections.

In addition to ordering their deregistration, the court restrained the affected parties from participating in future political activities and directed INEC not to recognize them as registered political parties.

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However, the Atiku camp insisted that the ruling could not stand, citing a pending appeal and a stay-of-action order issued by the Court of Appeal.

In a statement posted on X, Ibe maintained that the appellate court had previously directed Justice Lifu to halt further proceedings on the matter pending the determination of an appeal filed before it.

According to him, a panel of the Court of Appeal comprising Justices Mohammed A. Danjuma, Adebunkunola A. Banjoko and Oyejoju O. Oyewumi, in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/569/2026, ordered a stay of further action in the case, with the substantive appeal scheduled for hearing on October 27, 2026.

“The so-called deregistration of the ADC and other parties by Justice Peter Lifu may yet be the biggest manifestation of President Bola Tinubu’s determination to undermine the opposition and entrench a de facto one-party state,” Ibe stated.

He further described the judgment as “the height of judicial rascality” and accused the ruling party of seeking to weaken democratic institutions ahead of the next electoral cycle.

“Nigerians and the international community can see the level of desperation of the government of the ruling party to either have their way in the 2027 elections or destroy our democracy that was purchased at a huge cost,” he added.

The development has heightened political tensions, with observers anticipating a legal showdown at the Court of Appeal over the validity of the Federal High Court’s judgment and the future status of the affected political parties.

As of press time, INEC had yet to issue an official response on the court order or indicate the steps it would take regarding the affected parties.

Atiku Camp Rejects Court-Ordered ADC Deregistration, Alleges Plot to Cripple Opposition