Appeal Court overturns judgement deregistering ADC, Accord, three other opposition political parties
The Nigerian Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court's decision to deregister five opposition political parties, including the ADC and Accord Party. The appellate court ruled that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case and ignored a stay of proceedings order.
Why it matters
This ruling protects the political landscape in Nigeria by preventing the arbitrary removal of opposition parties, ensuring a more competitive environment for the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday overturned a lower court’s judgement deregistering five opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections and other off-cycle polls coming up within the year.
The five political parties affected by the earlier 15 June judgement of the Federal High Court include the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Accord Party.
The remaining parties are the Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Abba Mohammed unanimously declared the Federal High Court’s deregistration order null and void on Tuesday.
The court held that the trial court lacked the judicial power to hear the case in the first place.
It noted that the Federal High Court ignored its order of stay of proceedings by proceeding to deliver judgement in the matter.
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