The Court of Appeal in Abuja has adjourned the hearing of an appeal challenging the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and three other political parties until July 7, 2026.
The adjournment, granted on Thursday, June 25, allows parties in the suit to file and exchange their briefs of argument before the substantive hearing.
Counsel for the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), informed the three-member panel led by Justice Abubakar Mohammed that the record of appeal and the Federal High Court judgment were only recently obtained and transmitted.
He requested a short adjournment, which was not opposed by other parties.
Justice Mohammed noted that some panel members would be out of Abuja next week for official engagements, making July 7 the earliest available date for proceedings.
The appeal arises from a Federal High Court judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
Justice Lifu ruled that these parties failed to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in future elections.
INEC had opposed the deregistration, arguing that the parties satisfied the constitutional threshold, having won elective positions with certificates of return issued to their candidates.
In a related ruling on June 16, the Court of Appeal granted a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment, halting INEC from enforcing the deregistration pending the appeal's outcome.
The appellate court criticized Justice Lifu for proceeding with the judgment despite an earlier order to suspend proceedings.
The original suit was filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which claimed the parties did not achieve the required electoral performance under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.
INEC maintained that the parties remained qualified based on their election victories.
This development provides temporary relief to the affected political parties as the legal battle over their registration continues.
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