2027: Appeal Court halts INEC’s deregistration of ADC, Accord, 3 other parties
The Court of Appeal in Nigeria has ordered an immediate stay of execution on a Federal High Court judgment that directed the Independent Electoral National Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties, including the prominent African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The appellate court also restrained INEC from taking any steps to implement the lower court’s ruling, temporarily halting a decision that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The affected political platforms are African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
Court of Appeal slams Federal High Court judge
In a strongly worded decision, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal criticized the trial court’s rush to order the deregistration while related matters were already being processed at the higher court.
The appellate justices described the lower court’s actions as a “brazen disregard for the higher court” and an act of “judicial impertinence.”
READ ALSO: LEGAL TWIST: APP caught between conflicting Federal High Court judgments over deregistration
The panel held that the Federal High Court ought not to have proceeded in a manner capable of rendering pending appellate proceedings nugatory. The new order effectively preserves the status quo, ensuring the five parties remain legally recognized until the substantive appeals are decided.
How the crisis began
The legal battle kicked off following a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators. The group sought a court order compelling INEC to scrap the affected parties, arguing they failed to meet the minimum constitutional thresholds for electoral performance and geographical spread.
On Monday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja agreed with the plaintiffs. He ruled that the parties failed to satisfy the conditions required to retain their registration, ordering INEC to delist them and bar them from future elections, including the 2027 polls.
Opposition cries foul, warns of ‘anarchy’
The affected parties swiftly rejected Justice Lifu’s judgment, vowing to fight it to the apex court.
Reacting to the initial ruling, ADC National Spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, slammed the judgment as “a direct invitation to anarchy,” reiterating the party’s resolve to challenge the decision.
Party headers collectively argued that the forced deregistration was an assault on democratic principles that would severely limit political participation across the country.
Political observers view this case as a major turning point for the 2027 electoral cycle. The ADC, in particular, has recently grown into a formidable opposition platform, attracting several heavyweight political figures looking to build an alternative coalition.
Had the Federal High Court’s order stood, these five parties would have been entirely locked out of forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the 2027 general elections, fundamentally reshaping Nigeria’s opposition coalition landscape.
With the Appeal Court’s temporary reprieve in place, the immediate threat of extinction has been lifted. The ADC, Accord, AA, APP, and ZLP remain legally recognized and free to conduct political activities nationwide.
All eyes now return to the Court of Appeal, where legal analysts expect a definitive battle that will clarify the exact scope of INEC’s deregistration powers and reshape the rules of political party survival in Nigeria.
