The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking a stay of execution of a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alongside four other political parties.
INEC also informed the appellate court that it supports the notice of appeal filed by the affected political parties.
At the resumed hearing before a three-member panel on Tuesday, INEC’s counsel, Mr. Haliru Mohammed, expressed surprise over the ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, despite an earlier order allegedly restraining the delivery of the judgment.
He told the court that the commission was not officially informed of the judgment date and only became aware of it through media reports.
“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,” he said, adding that INEC would not oppose the application seeking to stay execution of the ruling.
Counsel to the African Democratic Congress, Mr. Shuaibu Aruwa (SAN), also told the court that the judgment was communicated to the party via WhatsApp, describing the development as improper and capable of undermining judicial order.
He urged the Court of Appeal to invoke its disciplinary powers, arguing that the lower court’s action disregarded a subsisting order and could lead to institutional confusion.
Other affected parties, including the Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), also urged the appellate court to suspend the judgment, warning that enforcement ahead of upcoming by-elections could disrupt the electoral process.
The parties argued that INEC’s scheduled by-elections across six states on June 20 could be affected if the ruling is implemented.
The Court of Appeal is still hearing arguments from the parties involved.
It will be recalled that the Federal High Court had ordered the deregistration of the five political parties, holding that they failed to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration. The court further restrained INEC from recognising them, accepting their candidates, 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 affected parties consistently failed to meet constitutional thresholds such as winning electoral seats or securing a minimum percentage of votes in elections, as provided under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
