By David Okoh
The Federal High Court in Abuja was packed to capacity on Tuesday as Justice Peter Lifu presided over a legal battle seeking the deregistration of several political parties.
The suit, filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and six political parties, hinges on the interpretation of Section 225A of the Fourth Alteration Act (2017) of the Nigerian Constitution.
The NFFL contends that the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Peoples Party (APP) have failed to meet the mandatory constitutional requirements to maintain their status as registered parties.
During the resumed hearing on February 24, 2026, the legal teams for the ADC and Accord Party (the 3rd and 6th defendants) moved applications for an extension of time to file their counter-affidavits and additional written addresses.
Shaibu Enejo Aruwa (SAN), lead counsel for the ADC, argued that the party was not initially joined in the suit correctly.
“We filed an application seeking amendment on 23 January 2026. Our application for extension of time was filed February 12, 2026; we also filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of this court to hear the suit,” Aruwa stated.
After hearing arguments from all parties, Justice Lifu adjourned the matter to March 24, 2026, for rulings on the pending applications and the hearing of preliminary objections.
Following the court session, Hon. Raphael Igbokwe, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the NFFL, addressed journalists, emphasizing that INEC does not have the discretion to selectively apply constitutional provisions.
“NFFL is a public interest group and therefore it filed a public interest suit aimed at expounding electoral jurisprudence,” Igbokwe explained. “Since Nigeria as a country practices constitutional democracy which hinges on the rule of law, every person, authority and institution is expected to carry out its activities in accordance to the constitution which includes INEC.”
Igbokwe further questioned why the electoral umpire had not taken action against the defendants despite having cleared the field of dozens of other parties just a few years ago.
“INEC cannot choose and pick which political party to apply the Constitution on. Recall that INEC applied Section 225A of the Constitution to deregister 74 political parties prior to the 2023 general elections and we are concerned why similar exercise has not been carried out.”
The lead counsel for the NFFL, Yakubu Uba (SAN), reiterated that the case is fundamentally about ensuring the integrity of the democratic process through judicial interpretation.
“We are before the court purely for constitutional interpretation,” Uba said. “Some parties, in our view, have acted in breach of the Constitution, and we seek the court’s guidance on the relevant provisions.”
The outcome of the March 24 ruling will determine whether the suit proceeds to a full trial ahead of future elections.
