The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the judgment ordering the ADC deregistration and that of four other political parties, ruling that the Federal High Court acted without valid jurisdiction. The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, declared the June 15 judgment of Justice Peter Lifu a nullity and held that the suit leading to the order was incompetent.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). The ruling effectively preserves the parties’ status as registered political organisations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Justice Abba Mohammed, who delivered the lead judgment, said the Federal High Court wrongly assumed jurisdiction over the case. The appellate court also faulted the trial court for failing to properly assess evidence showing that some of the affected parties had won seats in previous elections.
More significantly, the panel criticised Justice Lifu for proceeding with the matter despite an earlier Court of Appeal order directing him to suspend proceedings pending the determination of an appeal. The appellate court described the conduct as “a form of judicial impertinence,” noting that the Supreme Court had previously characterised similar conduct as judicial rascality.
The court consequently allowed the separate appeals filed by the political parties and awarded costs against the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which instituted the original case.
Justice Lifu had earlier directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the five parties for allegedly failing to satisfy constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The judgment also barred INEC from recognising the parties, accepting their candidates’ nominations or giving effect to their activities ahead of the 2027 elections. The suit was filed by the NFFL, which argued that the parties had failed to meet electoral performance thresholds contained in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.
However, the affected parties and INEC challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal. The appellate court had already stayed execution of the judgment in June after criticising Justice Lifu for proceeding despite its earlier stay order.
Reacting to the ruling, the ADC described it as a correction of what it called a grave miscarriage of justice. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the decision vindicated its position that the deregistration case was legally defective and unsupported by credible evidence. He also criticised the trial judge over what the party described as serious violations of judicial procedure.
National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, described the attempted ADC deregistration as an assault on multiparty democracy. Mark said the judgment was a victory for constitutionalism, political pluralism and the rule of law, urging party members and supporters to intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 polls.
ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, also welcomed the judgment, saying political contests should be settled by voters rather than courtroom manoeuvres.
He congratulated the appellate judges for what he described as their fidelity to the Constitution and justice. According to Atiku, the ruling strengthened the ADC’s legal position ahead of the 2027 election and ended what he described as attempts to undermine the party through litigation.
“The general election must be won at the ballot and not in court,” he said.
The judgment also has implications for Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party. Adeleke’s camp welcomed the ruling, saying it had removed the legal uncertainty surrounding the party’s participation in the election.
The Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the judgment had frustrated efforts to prevent Adeleke from appearing on the ballot. The Court of Appeal’s decision now leaves the five political parties legally recognised, although the broader political and legal disputes surrounding the 2027 elections are expected to continue.
The ruling marks a major development in the ADC deregistration battle and reinforces the appellate court’s earlier intervention against the Federal High Court judgment. This version keeps the central legal facts and political reactions but makes the story more click-worthy, structured and publication-ready.
