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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The legal battle seeking the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and three other political parties is set to resume on Friday, April 24, 2026, as proceedings move toward full hearing.
At the previous sitting on March 24, the court heard all pending applications in the matter, except for a motion seeking amendment filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which was adjourned to April 17 for ruling. However, when the matter came up on that date, proceedings could not go on due to the absence of the presiding judge, forcing a further adjournment to April 24.
The outcome of the pending ruling is expected to determine whether the case will proceed to full hearing.
The presiding judge had earlier ordered an accelerated hearing of the suit, citing the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of party primaries ahead of upcoming elections.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), one of the parties listed in the suit, is currently grappling with a protracted leadership crisis, with multiple court cases challenging its internal structure. The situation has led INEC to withdraw recognition of its leadership, further complicating its standing within Nigeria’s political landscape.
Recall that the National Forum of Former Legislators had approached the court seeking the deregistration of the affected political parties over alleged failure to meet constitutional and electoral requirements as stipulated under relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2025, specifically urges the court to compel INEC to enforce Section 225A of the Constitution, which empowers the electoral body to deregister political parties that fail to meet prescribed performance thresholds.