Jun 16, 2026

BREAKING: Appeal Court Blocks Deregistration of ADC, Accord and Three Others

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

👁️ loading views...

Abuja, Nigeria — June 16, 2026 - In a significant legal intervention hours before critical by-elections, the Court of Appeal has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stay execution of a Federal High Court judgment deregistering the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Accord Party, and three other political parties.

The unanimous ruling by a three-member appellate panel on Tuesday evening halts the deregistration order issued by Justice Peter Lifu, preserving the parties’ legal status and their ability to participate in Saturday’s polls across six states, including the high-stakes off-cycle governorship election in Ekiti State.

The appellate court found that the trial judge violated fundamental principles of judicial precedence and the hierarchy of courts.

Justice Lifu had earlier ordered a stay of proceedings in the matter yet proceeded to deliver a final judgment deregistering the parties.

The Court of Appeal described this as an affront to established legal procedure and set aside the execution order pending the determination of the substantive appeal.

The case originated from a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators seeking the deregistration of several parties for alleged failure to meet constitutional and electoral requirements.

When the Accord Party applied for joinder, the Federal High Court refused on April 27. Accord then filed an interlocutory appeal, which brought the matter before the appellate court.

During proceedings, respondents urged the Court of Appeal to invoke its disciplinary powers against the trial judge for what they described as procedural overreach.

The five affected parties have expressed relief but also highlighted the immediate danger the lower court order posed to their electoral fortunes.

With by-elections scheduled for June 20 in senatorial and federal constituencies across multiple states, deregistration would have effectively barred them from fielding candidates and campaigning.

In Ekiti State, where voters will choose a new governor, the timing was especially acute for smaller parties seeking to maintain relevance in a crowded political landscape.

Legal analysts note that the ruling reinforces the supremacy of appellate authority and the doctrine that lower courts must respect orders staying proceedings.

It also raises fresh questions about the robustness of INEC’s deregistration processes and the speed with which courts adjudicate politically sensitive electoral matters.

Nigeria’s multi-party system has long grappled with the survival of smaller parties, many of which struggle to meet the stringent conditions for continued registration, including securing at least 25 percent of votes in certain elections or maintaining verifiable membership across two-thirds of states.

The decision provides temporary reprieve but does not resolve the underlying deregistration suit.

The full appeal will now proceed, with the parties likely to argue that procedural fairness was compromised from the outset.

For INEC, the stay imposes an immediate compliance obligation, preventing any administrative steps to remove the parties from the register ahead of the weekend elections.

Politically, the ruling preserves a measure of pluralism at a moment when opposition voices and smaller platforms are already navigating significant structural challenges.

It also underscores the judiciary’s role as the ultimate arbiter in disputes that directly affect citizens’ democratic choices.

As the by-elections approach, the focus now shifts to whether the affected parties can mobilise effectively within the remaining days and how the appellate process will shape the broader conversation around party regulation and judicial conduct in Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.

The Court of Appeal’s intervention has bought critical time for due process, but the underlying tensions between electoral regulation, judicial hierarchy, and political participation remain unresolved.

All eyes will be on Saturday’s polls and the subsequent legal steps that will determine whether these parties survive to contest future elections.