APP Remains Registered Despite Court Ruling On Deregistration, Experts Insist

The Action People’s Party (APP) has maintained that it remained a legally recognised political party and eligible to participate in the 2027 general election despite a Federal High Court judgement ordering the deregistration of five political parties.

The position followed public reactions to a ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu on Monday, which has generated debate over its implications for the status of the APP.

However, legal experts and party supporters argued that the judgement does not affect the APP, citing previous decisions by higher courts that had affirmed the party’s registration and legal standing.

According to available court records, the APP’s status as a registered political party had been the subject of several judicial pronouncements, with no fewer than three Federal High Court judgements reportedly holding that the party satisfied all constitutional and statutory requirements for registration.

The decisions were subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal and later reinforced by the Supreme Court, which stakeholders said conclusively settled the issue of the party’s legal status.

Legal commentators noted that under Nigeria’s judicial hierarchy, judgments of appellate courts and the Supreme Court remain binding on lower courts, making it difficult for a subsequent decision of a lower court to invalidate earlier rulings affirmed by superior courts.

Consequently, some legal experts have described Justice Lifu’s judgement, insofar as it may be interpreted to affect the APP, as having no practical impact on the party’s continued recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The APP’s status as a duly registered political party has already been settled by multiple judicial pronouncements culminating in decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Those judgments remain binding and enforceable,” a legal source familiar with the matter said.

Stakeholders further insisted that the APP remainsed qualified to sponsor candidates and participate in all electoral activities, including the 2027 general elections, unless a contrary order is issued by a court with the requisite appellate jurisdiction.

The controversy has sparked renewed public discussion over the effect of Justice Lifu’s ruling on Nigeria’s political landscape.

Nevertheless, legal commentators maintained that the existing judgements of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court affirming the APP’s existence remain the prevailing legal position.

Based on those decisions, party stakeholders insisted that the Action People’s Party remained a registered political party and will actively participate in the 2027 general election.