The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approached the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, seeking a stay of execution of a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The move came a day after Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja directed the electoral body to deregister the ADC, Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements for retaining their registration.
The court also ordered INEC to bar the affected parties from participating in future elections, including the 2027 general election.
In a fresh twist, however, INEC has filed an appeal against the judgment and applied for a stay of execution pending the determination of the appeal.
The application is expected to temporarily preserve the status of the affected parties and prevent their immediate removal from the register of political parties until the appellate court reaches a decision.
The judgment arose from a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026 filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the five political parties. INEC was named as the first defendant, while the Attorney-General of the Federation was joined as a party to the suit.
The plaintiff had argued that the affected parties no longer met constitutional requirements relating to electoral performance and national spread and should therefore be deregistered.
According to the forum, the parties failed to secure the minimum electoral threshold prescribed by law, thereby losing the legal basis to remain registered political parties.
Justice Lifu, in his judgment, dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defendants and held that the plaintiff had established its claims.
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The ruling has generated considerable interest in political circles, particularly because of the growing prominence of the ADC as a platform being considered by opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party has in recent months attracted notable political figures involved in coalition talks aimed at presenting a united front against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general election.
With INEC now challenging the judgment at the Court of Appeal, the legal battle over the future of the five political parties is set to enter a new phase.
