Court Reserves Judgment on ADC and Party Deregistration Appeals

On Tuesday, the Abuja Court of Appeal reserved judgment on the appeals filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties against their deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The appeals challenge a Federal High Court ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, which ordered the deregistration of the parties for allegedly failing to satisfy constitutional requirements necessary to retain their registration.

The panel, led by Justice Abba Bello, heard arguments from counsel representing the parties, including Musibau Adetunbi SAN, who urged the court to set aside the lower court's judgment, describing it as nullity. The appeal stems from a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, where the plaintiffs argued that INEC's actions violated constitutional obligations.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, joined the suit in support of the plaintiffs, arguing that allowing the parties to remain registered is crucial for the integrity of Nigeria's electoral system. The court has not yet set a date for the judgment delivery.