Court To Rule On Suit Seeking Deregistration Of ADC, 4 Others March 24

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed March 24, 2026, for ruling on a joinder application and other pending motions in a suit seeking the deregistration of five political parties over alleged non-compliance with constitutional provisions.

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

Proceedings on Tuesday drew a large crowd as Justice Peter Lifu presided over the matter at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The plaintiffs were asking the court to interpret Section 225A of the Fourth Alteration Act (2017) of the Constitution, arguing that the affected parties failed to meet the mandatory requirements to retain their registration status.

During the resumed hearing on February 24, 2026, counsel to the ADC and Accord Party—listed as the 3rd and 6th defendants—moved applications seeking extension of time to file their counter-affidavits and additional written addresses.

Leading counsel to the ADC, Shaibu Enejo Aruwa (SAN), told the court that his client was not properly joined in the suit.

“We filed an application seeking amendment on January 23, 2026. Our application for extension of time was filed on February 12, 2026. We have also filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of this court to hear the suit,” Aruwa said.

After listening to arguments from all parties, Justice Lifu adjourned the matter to March 24, 2026, for ruling on the joinder applications, preliminary objections, and other pending motions.

Speaking to journalists after the court session, Hon. Raphael Igbokwe, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NFFL, said the suit was instituted in the public interest, insisting that INEC lacked discretion to selectively apply constitutional provisions.

“NFFL is a public interest group and therefore filed this suit to expand electoral jurisprudence,” Igbokwe said. “Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy anchored on the rule of law, and every authority, including INEC, must act strictly in accordance with the Constitution.”

He questioned why the electoral umpire had not taken action against the parties despite having previously deregistered dozens of political parties.

“INEC cannot pick and choose which political party to apply the Constitution to. It applied Section 225A to deregister 74 political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections. We are concerned why a similar exercise has not been carried out in this case,” he added.

Also speaking, lead counsel to the NFFL, Yakubu Ruba (SAN), said the case was essentially about constitutional interpretation and the protection of Nigeria’s democratic framework.

“We are before the court purely for constitutional interpretation. Some parties, in our view, have acted in breach of the Constitution, and we are seeking the court’s guidance on the relevant provisions,” he said.

On his part, the counsel to the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), said he sought the leave of court to file a further counter-affidavit in response to the amended originating summons seeking to join the party in the suit.

Explaining his opposition to the joinder while speaking with journalists, Adetunbi argued that Nigeria’s democracy thrives on a vibrant opposition.

“We should allow political parties to come out and we should allow opposition to breathe. So any corny way, any method of erasing all opposition parties must be fought with every power that we have. It must be fought. I’m not a politician, but if we need a better Nigeria, opposition must be allowed to breathe,” he stated.