Relief for ADC, AP as Appeal Court stops deregistration order
Several opposition political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Accord Party (AP), have secured temporary relief after the Court of Appeal halted the enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment ordering their deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Earlier in the week, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered INEC to deregister ADC, Accord, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for failing to meet the constitutional thresholds required to remain on the register of political parties. The trial court held that the parties breached Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers INEC to deregister political parties that fail to win any elective seat or secure at least 25 per cent of the votes in relevant elections at federal, state or local government […]
