The Court of Appeal in Abuja has adjourned until July 7, 2026, the hearing of an appeal challenging the proposed deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party and three other political parties.
The appellate court postponed the matter to allow all parties involved to file and exchange their briefs of argument ahead of the substantive hearing.
At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), informed the three-member panel led by Justice Abubakar Mohammed that the record of appeal and the judgment of the Federal High Court were only obtained earlier in the week and had subsequently been transmitted to the Court of Appeal. Adetunbi requested a short adjournment to enable parties adequately prepare and exchange the necessary legal documents. The application was not opposed by other parties in the suit.
Justice Mohammed subsequently adjourned the case until 2 p.m. on July 7, noting that some members of the panel would be away on official assignments next week, making the new date the earliest available for hearing.
The appeal arose from a judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to deregister five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The lower court had held that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional requirements needed to maintain their registration and participate in future elections.
However, INEC opposed the deregistration, arguing that the parties remained qualified for registration because candidates elected on their platforms had won elective positions in previous elections. The electoral body also presented certificates of return issued to some of the successful candidates as evidence.
In a related development, the Court of Appeal had on June 16 granted a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment, preventing INEC from implementing the deregistration order pending the determination of the appeal.
The appellate court also criticised the lower court for delivering its judgment despite an earlier directive to suspend proceedings in the matter, describing the action as inconsistent with the hierarchy of courts.
The suit was filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the affected parties failed to meet the electoral performance benchmarks outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.According to the group, the parties did not achieve the constitutionally required performance in the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections and should therefore lose their registration status.
INEC, however, maintained that the parties remain legally recognised, insisting that electoral victories recorded by candidates on their platforms satisfy the constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The outcome of the appeal is expected to determine the future status of the affected political parties and could have significant implications for Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of future elections.
