By Editor
Legal proceedings over the proposed deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties are set to resume today at the Court of Appeal in Abuja as the affected parties seek to overturn a Federal High Court judgment ordering their removal from the register of political parties.
A three-member panel of the appellate court, headed by Justice Abba Mohammed, is expected to hear the substantive appeals after earlier proceedings allowed all parties to regularise and exchange their court processes.
Besides the ADC, the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) are challenging the lower court's decision, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister them for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The Court of Appeal had earlier granted a stay of execution of the judgment, preventing INEC from enforcing the deregistration pending the determination of the appeals. The appellate court also faulted the trial judge for delivering judgment despite an earlier directive to suspend proceedings in the case.
The suit was instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the affected political parties failed to achieve the electoral performance benchmarks required under the Constitution and the Electoral Act. The plaintiffs maintained that the parties did not secure the minimum level of electoral success required to retain their legal status.
However, the affected parties, alongside INEC, have urged the appellate court to set aside the judgment, insisting that the decision was legally flawed and should not stand.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered ADC National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, to pay ₦100 million in damages after striking out his suit against two judges over alleged bias and judicial misconduct. The court awarded ₦50 million each to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and Justice Peter Lifu, ruling that the case lacked diligent prosecution.