ADC, others face deregistration threat as court adjourns case to March 24

 The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed March 24, 2026, to deliver a ruling on key applications in a suit seeking to compel the deregistration of several political parties over alleged constitutional non-compliance.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/25, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Attorney-General of the Federation, and affected political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance (AA).

Originally filed against the ADC alone, the originating summons was later amended to include the additional parties, whose continued registration the plaintiffs claim violates constitutional provisions.

Courtroom Drama Over Representation

At Tuesday’s proceedings, legal representatives announced appearances for all the parties except Action Alliance, which presented two different lawyers from separate law firms claiming authority to represent it.

The lawyers, Ibrahim Yakubu and Bello Lukman, insisted they each had valid letters of instruction. Presiding judge, Peter Lifu, directed both counsel to reconcile their positions, warning that the court would “do the needful” if they failed to resolve the dispute.

Accord Party Seeks Additional Filing

Counsel to Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), also moved an application seeking leave to file a further counter-affidavit after the party was joined in the deregistration suit.

He argued that the additional filing was necessary to address important facts omitted earlier and would assist the court in reaching a just decision.

However, lead counsel to the plaintiff, Yakubu Abdullahi Ruba (SAN), opposed the request, insisting no new facts were introduced in the amended summons to justify such an application. He urged the court to dismiss it as incompetent.

After hearing arguments, Justice Lifu granted some procedural applications, including requests for extension of time by certain respondents challenging the court’s jurisdiction, and adjourned the matter until March 24 for ruling on the joinder application and other pending motions.

Basis of the Suit

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Ruba said the case seeks judicial interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions governing the registration and continued recognition of political parties in Nigeria.

Court documents show the action was filed pursuant to Section 225(A) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 75(4) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The plaintiffs argue that INEC is constitutionally obligated to deregister parties that fail to meet minimum electoral performance benchmarks, including securing at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during presidential elections or winning elective offices at any level of government.

They further contend that allowing such parties to participate in the 2027 general elections could overcrowd ballot papers, waste public resources, and undermine electoral integrity.