ADC, Accord Deregistration: Appeal Court Adjourns Hearing To July 7
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has fixed July 7 for the hearing of an appeal challenging the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress, Accord Party and three other opposition platforms, pushing back a politically charged case that has gripped the country barely months before the 2027 general election.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Abubakar Mohammed, shifted the matter from June 25 to allow the parties file and exchange their briefs of argument before the substantive hearing. Counsel for the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), told the court that the record of appeal and the Federal High Court judgment were only obtained on Monday and had since been transmitted to the appellate court. Although Adetunbi sought three days to file, Justice Mohammed explained that some panel members would be away from Abuja on official engagements, making July 7 the earliest convenient date. The application was not opposed.
The appeal stems from a judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2025, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the ADC, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party. Justice Lifu held that the parties failed to satisfy constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.
The suit was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the parties fell short of the benchmarks set under Section 225A and the Electoral Act, 2022, in the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections. INEC opposed the deregistration, insisting the affected parties met the constitutional threshold and tendering certificates of return issued to their elected candidates.
The case has been shadowed by an unusual clash between courts. A panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma had on May 22, 2026, granted a stay of further proceedings pending the determination of an appeal filed by the Accord Party in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/569/2026. Justice Lifu nevertheless delivered judgment, prompting the appellate court on June 16 to stay execution and rebuke him. The lead ruling described his conduct as “judicial impertinence” and “judicial rascality.” During those proceedings, INEC’s counsel said the commission was surprised by the decision and only learnt of it through media reports.
The stakes are heavy because the affected platforms have become central to opposition calculations. The ADC has recently emerged as one of the major opposition platforms and has attracted several prominent political figures ahead of the next electoral cycle. Critics, including SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, have framed the deregistration bid as an attempt to narrow voter choice ahead of 2027.
Party deregistration carries a long history in Nigeria. In February 2020, INEC deregistered 74 parties, leaving 18 registered platforms after the 2019 elections, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2021. As of April 2026, the number of registered parties stood at 21, even as 171 associations had submitted letters of intent seeking registration as of September 2025.
With the stay of execution in place, the five parties remain legally recognised pending the outcome on July 7, when attention will turn to whether Justice Lifu’s judgment survives appellate scrutiny.