The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has moved the hearing date for an appeal concerning the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Accord Party, and three additional political groups to July 7, 2026. Originally slated for June 25, 2026, the hearing was postponed by the three-member panel to provide all involved parties the necessary time to file and exchange legal arguments.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), representing the Accord Party, stated that the final judgment records from the Federal High Court were only received on Monday. Following his request for an adjournment, which went unopposed, presiding Justice Abubakar Mohammed scheduled the next session for July 7, 2026, at 2:00 pm, noting that some justices would be presiding over special sessions outside Abuja in the interim.
This case stems from a Federal High Court ruling by Justice Peter Odo Lifu, which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the five parties—the ADC, Accord Party, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)—for failing to meet constitutional performance benchmarks. INEC had contested this decision, presenting evidence that these parties had secured elective seats and met the necessary requirements.
Previously, on June 16, 2026, the Court of Appeal stayed the execution of Justice Lifu’s judgment. The appellate panel criticized the lower court’s decision to proceed with the ruling despite a May 22, 2026, directive to suspend proceedings, labeling the act as judicial impropriety. The litigation was initiated by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), who argued that the parties’ poor performance in the 2023 elections mandated their removal from the electoral register under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.
