Deregistration: Court adjourns hearing on ADC, four other political parties’ appeal

Deregistration: Court adjourns hearing on ADC, four other political parties’ appeal

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has adjourned until Tuesday, July 14, 2026, the hearing of an appeal challenging the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The appellate court granted the adjournment after lawyers representing the parties informed the court that although some legal processes had been filed and served, they were yet to receive and respond to all outstanding briefs necessary for the hearing of the appeal.

The appeal seeks to overturn a judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the five political parties over their alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements relating to electoral performance.

When the matter came up on Monday before a three-member panel led by Justice Abubakar Mohammed, counsel for all parties jointly requested more time to complete the exchange of legal documents.

The lawyers explained that they had filed and served some of their processes but were still awaiting response briefs from other parties before the substantive hearing could proceed.

After listening to the applications, the appellate court granted the request and fixed July 14 for hearing.

The court also directed all parties to ensure that every outstanding brief of argument is filed and served before the adjourned date to avoid further delays and enable the appeal to proceed on its merits.

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The latest adjournment follows an earlier postponement from June 25 to July 7, which was granted after counsel to the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), informed the court that the record of appeal and the certified copy of the Federal High Court judgment had only recently been transmitted to the Court of Appeal.

According to the senior advocate, the transmission of the court records was necessary before parties could prepare, file and exchange their respective briefs of argument.

None of the parties opposed the request for an adjournment at the time, prompting the appellate court to grant additional time for the completion of the legal processes.

The legal dispute originated from a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party.

Justice Lifu held that the affected political parties failed to satisfy the constitutional threshold stipulated under Section 225 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) regarding electoral performance in previous general elections.

The trial court ruled that the parties did not secure the minimum constitutional requirements to remain registered political parties and consequently directed INEC to remove them from its register.

The judgment further restrained the electoral commission from recognising the affected parties, accepting candidates nominated by them or allowing them to participate in the 2027 general elections.

Justice Lifu also ordered the parties to stop presenting themselves as registered political parties in Nigeria after upholding a suit instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL).

However, the ruling immediately generated legal challenges after the affected parties argued that the Federal High Court proceeded to deliver its judgment despite an earlier order of the Court of Appeal directing the trial court to stay proceedings pending the determination of an interlocutory appeal already before the appellate court.

In an earlier unanimous ruling, the Court of Appeal strongly criticised the action of the lower court, describing it as a breach of judicial hierarchy and constitutional procedure.

Justice Abubakar Mohammed observed that once a superior court issues an order, lower courts are constitutionally bound to comply with it until it is set aside.

He stressed that the appellate court has a duty to preserve the integrity of the judicial process and ensure obedience to its orders.

Consequently, the Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution of Justice Lifu’s judgment pending the determination of the substantive appeal.

The decision effectively suspended the enforcement of the deregistration order, allowing the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party to retain their legal status until the appeal is finally determined.

The outcome of the appeal is expected to have significant implications for Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly following recent political realignments involving opposition parties.

The ADC, which has recently attracted several prominent opposition politicians, is widely regarded as one of the parties that could play a major role in the build-up to the next presidential election.

The Court of Appeal is expected to begin substantive hearing of the appeal on July 14, provided all parties comply with its directive to file and exchange all outstanding briefs before the adjourned date.

Deregistration: Court adjourns hearing on ADC, four other political parties’ appeal