The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved its judgment on a series of appeals seeking to overturn a lower court's decision that ordered the deregistration of five political parties.
A three-member appellate panel, led by Justice Abba Mohammed, deferred its decision after all participating legal teams presented and adopted their final arguments.
Affected Political Parties
The legal dispute centers on five political organizations facing potential deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC):
-
African Democratic Congress (ADC)
-
Action Peoples Party (APP)
-
Action Alliance (AA)
-
Accord Party (AP)
-
Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
Both the affected political parties and INEC are aligned in asking the appellate court to set aside the initial ruling.
Background of the Dispute
The legal battle stems from a lawsuit initiated by the National Forum of Former Legislators. The group sought to enforce constitutional requirements regarding the performance and viability of political parties.
According to the constitutional framework, political parties must meet specific performance thresholds to maintain their registered status. These criteria include:
-
Securing at least 25 percent of the votes in at least one state during a presidential election, or
-
Winning at least one elective seat at the local, state, or national level.
The plaintiffs argued that the five parties failed to meet these benchmarks during both the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, making their continued operations unlawful. The Attorney General of the Federation also supported this position, asserting that maintaining underperforming parties undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
Judicial Tensions and Procedures
The appellate court previously issued a stay of execution on the deregistration order. During the proceedings, the appellate panel strongly criticized the trial judge of the Federal High Court for delivering his judgment despite a prior directive to halt proceedings pending the outcome of the appeal. The panel characterized the disregard for judicial hierarchy as a serious breach of professional conduct.
With all briefs now submitted, the Court of Appeal will communicate the final judgment date to the involved parties in due course.