The Court of Appeal in Abuja has scheduled July 7 for the hearing of an appeal challenging the proposed deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Accord Party.
The matter, which was originally slated for hearing on June 25, was postponed to allow parties involved in the case to file and exchange their legal briefs before the substantive hearing.
During proceedings on Thursday, counsel to the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), informed the three-member panel headed by Justice Abubakar Mohammed that the record of appeal and the judgment of the Federal High Court had only been received earlier in the week and had since been transmitted to the appellate court.
Adetunbi subsequently requested a brief adjournment to enable all parties complete the filing and exchange of their court processes.
The request was not opposed by any of the parties, leading the court to fix July 7 for further proceedings.
Although the senior advocate sought a three-day adjournment, Justice Mohammed explained that members of the panel would be engaged in official assignments outside Abuja next week, making July 7 the earliest available date for the hearing.
The appeal arose from a ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that the affected parties failed to meet the constitutional conditions required to maintain their registration and continue participating in elections.
However, INEC disagreed with the decision and challenged the ruling, arguing that the parties had satisfied the constitutional requirements and had secured electoral victories in previous elections.
To support its position, the electoral commission presented certificates of return issued to candidates elected on the platforms of the affected political parties.
The legal battle took another turn on June 16 when the Court of Appeal ordered a stay of execution of the Federal High Court judgment, effectively preventing INEC from carrying out the deregistration pending the outcome of the appeal.
In a unanimous decision, the appellate court faulted Justice Lifu for delivering his judgment despite an earlier directive requiring him to halt proceedings in the matter.
The court described the move as a breach of judicial hierarchy and consequently granted an application suspending the enforcement of the judgment until the appeal is determined.
The suit was originally filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the political parties failed to meet the performance requirements outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the group, the parties did not attain the electoral benchmarks prescribed by law during the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections, making them liable for deregistration.
INEC, however, maintained that the parties remain legally qualified to operate, pointing to electoral victories recorded by their candidates in different parts of the country as evidence that they continue to meet constitutional standards.
The appeal is expected to determine whether the affected parties will retain their registration ahead of future electoral contests.