Court of Appeal Halts Deregistration of Political Parties

On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned the Federal High Court's decision that mandated the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and three other political parties. The appellate court, led by Justice Abba Bello, ruled that the Forum of Former Legislators, which initiated the deregistration suit, did not have the legal standing to do so.

The court awarded a penalty of N1 million against the former legislators for filing the case. The appellate court declared the previous judgment, which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the parties due to their performance in the 2023 general elections, as “null and void.” Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had previously issued the deregistration order.

The appellate court criticized the trial court for proceeding with the judgment despite an existing stay order and deemed the trial court's actions as judicial impertinence. Barr.

Peter Abang, counsel for the Action Peoples Party (APP), expressed satisfaction with the ruling, calling it a victory for democracy.