News

INEC Seeks Stay of Execution of Judgement on Deregistration of ADC, Four Others

ByTitilope Adako

PublishedJune 16, 2026

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking a stay of execution on a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.

INEC also expressed support for a notice of appeal filed by the affected parties.

When the matter came before a three-member panel of the appellate court on Tuesday, INEC, through its counsel, Mr Haliru Mohammed, SAN, said it was taken aback by the ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja despite an earlier order restraining him from doing so.

The electoral body told the court that it was not informed of any notice for the delivery of the judgment and only became aware of it through media reports.

“My Lords, we are aware of an order that this court made on May 22, which stopped the delivery of the judgment of the lower court, which was initially reserved for delivery on June 5.

“We were not aware of any notice from the court regarding the delivery of the judgment. We only saw it as breaking news in the media.

“We therefore do not oppose the application of the appellant to stay the execution of the judgment,” Mohammed told the court.

Counsel to the ADC, Mr Shuaibu Aruwa, SAN, also informed the appellate court that Justice Lifu allegedly communicated the judgment delivery notice to the party via WhatsApp.

He argued that the decision of the Federal High Court amounted to judicial overreach and urged the Court of Appeal to take strong action, insisting that the lower court acted in disregard of its order.

“Sincerely, my Lords, a lot has happened to the judiciary and this profession. What the trial judge did was dare this Court of Appeal by insisting that no one could arrest his judgment, even after his attention was drawn to the stay order from this court.

“The action of the trial judge calls for swift and extraordinary measures from this court. We have come to the stage where this court should press the reset button.

“We are calling on this court to exercise disciplinary jurisdiction under Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

“We urge this court to take disciplinary steps by immediately suspending that judgment. This court has the power to protect its own integrity. We pray this court suspends the judgment immediately without further delay,” Aruwa submitted.

Other political parties involved in the case also told the court that the judgment, if enforced, could disrupt preparations for upcoming by-elections scheduled for June 20 across six states.

They argued that the appellate court has the inherent authority to intervene and ensure its orders are not disregarded by lower courts.

The Court of Appeal is yet to conclude hearing submissions from all parties in the matter.

It will be recalled that the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the deregistration of the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Justice Lifu held that the parties failed to meet constitutional requirements for continued recognition, citing provisions of Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC regulations.

The court also barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them, or allowing them to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general elections.

The judgment followed a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the parties had consistently failed to meet the performance thresholds required to retain their registration.

The group maintained that the ADC and the other parties did not secure meaningful electoral results in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, including winning seats at federal, state, or local government levels.

According to the plaintiffs, the continued existence of the affected parties undermines the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system and violates constitutional provisions governing political party registration.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.