Court of Appeal Overturns INEC Deregistration Order

The Court of Appeal has overturned the Federal High Court's judgment that mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). The unanimous judgment, delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Abba Mohammed, found that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The appellate court described the lower court's decision as “a nullity” and criticized its actions as judicial impertinence. The court noted that the Federal High Court had proceeded with its judgment despite a stay of proceedings ordered by the Court of Appeal.

It ruled that the first respondent lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, rendering the proceedings incompetent. This ruling nullified the previous order that had barred the affected parties from participating in the 2027 general elections.