Court Reserves Judgment on ADC and Four Parties' Appeals

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has 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). This follows a decision by the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, which ordered the deregistration of the parties for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements to retain their registration.

The appeals were heard by a three-member panel led by Justice Abba Bello Mohammed, where counsel for the parties, including Musibau Adetunbi SAN, argued that the Federal High Court's judgment was null and void. They contended that INEC's actions violated constitutional obligations, particularly regarding the requirement for parties to secure at least 25% of votes in elections.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, supported the plaintiffs' case, asserting that the judgment undermined Nigeria's electoral integrity. The court has set a date to deliver its judgment after the appeals were filed.