125
By John Azu
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other opposition political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu, on Monday, held that the five political parties brought before it are deregistered for not complying with the provision of Section 225 of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 ( as amended).
“All the five parties did not meet the requirement of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
The ruling followed an application by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL) led by Raphael Igbokwe seeking to de-register the Action Alliance (AA); ADC, Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party, and Action Peoples Party (APP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The judge upheld the submission of NFFL that the political parties failed to comply with the provision of Section 225A of the Nigerian Constitution, which INEC has no residual discretion to retain their registration having failed to satisfy the minimum threshold of scoring 25 percent votes in any state during presidential elections or producing a local government chairman
The judge dismissed the objections by the political parties that they have met the constitutional threshold and that they have elected members in various offices.
The judge also dismissed the argument by the counsel to APP, Peter Abang that the court cannot hold jurisdiction on the matter as the issue of their de-registration had been previously determined by a High Court and Court of Appeal in Owerri, adding that they produced local government chairmen in Abia and Nasarawa states.
All the other parties had agreed with the APP that only the Court of Appeal could determine the matter.
However, in his ruling, the judge held that the appeal was meant to arrest the judgement of the court.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has fixed June 16 for hearing into the matter.
The matter may put the 2027 election in jeopardy as the ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and his running Rotimi Amaechi had been announced while Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State is seeking re-election on the platform of Accord Party.