ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, has postponed its ruling in a legal action seeking the deregistration of four registered political parties in the country.
The case was brought before the Federal High Court of Nigeria by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, an association made up of past members of Nigeria’s federal and state legislative bodies. The suit challenges the continued registration of the African Democratic Congress, the Accord Party, the Zenith Labour Party, and the Action Alliance.
The plaintiffs filed the action against the Independent National Electoral Commission, the constitutional body responsible for organising and supervising elections in Nigeria; the Attorney General of the Federation, who is the chief legal officer of the federal government of Nigeria; and the four political parties.
They are asking the court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the parties, arguing that the parties have allegedly failed to meet constitutional requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties under Nigerian law.
During proceedings presided over by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, an unexpected development occurred when two separate lawyers appeared claiming to represent the Action Alliance.
The lawyers, Ibrahim Yakubu and Bello Lukman, each informed the court that they had been properly instructed to act on behalf of the party and presented separate letters of instruction to support their claims.
Justice Lifu directed both legal representatives to reconcile their positions, warning that the court would take appropriate action if they failed to resolve the representation dispute.
In a related application, counsel to the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, sought permission from the court to file an additional counter affidavit. He argued that the further filing was necessary to address important issues that were not covered in the party’s earlier response.
However, the application was strongly opposed by the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, Yakubu Abdullahi Ruba, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who argued that there were no new facts presented that would justify the filing of another counter affidavit.
Other respondents in the matter requested additional time to regularise their court processes and also raised objections challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.
Justice Lifu granted the requests for extension of time and accepted the plaintiff’s reply on points of law as properly filed.
After hearing all pending applications, the court adjourned the matter to Monday, March 24, 2026, for ruling on the joinder application and other motions before it.
The outcome of the case could have significant implications for Nigeria’s multi party political system, as deregistration would remove the affected parties from participating in future elections unless reinstated through legal or administrative processes. Okay News reports that the ruling is expected to clarify the extent of the electoral commission’s powers regarding party regulation under Nigeria’s Constitution.
