The Federal High Court in Abuja has indefinitely postponed its ruling in a case seeking the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA), and several other political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu had earlier scheduled Friday, June 5, 2026, for judgment, but the decision was put on hold following a stay of proceedings granted to the Accord Party by the Court of Appeal on May 29.
When the matter came up on Friday, the court registrar informed all parties that the judgment would no longer be delivered as planned, adding that a fresh date would be announced later.
The suit was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which is asking the court to remove a number of political parties from Nigeria’s register of recognised parties. Those listed in the case include the ADC, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party, and others.
Reacting to the latest development, Chairman of the forum’s Board of Trustees, Raphael Igbokwe, expressed dissatisfaction with the appellate court’s decision to halt proceedings. He disclosed that the organisation has already approached the Supreme Court to challenge the stay of proceedings.
According to him, the case had reached the judgment stage before it was interrupted, describing the development as effectively stopping the court from delivering its decision. Despite this, he said the forum remains committed to pursuing all legal options to ensure the matter is resolved.
Igbokwe maintained that the objective of the lawsuit is to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system and contribute to the growth of constitutional and electoral jurisprudence.
The plaintiffs argue that the affected political parties failed to satisfy constitutional and electoral requirements regarding nationwide electoral spread and performance. They contend that political parties are expected to secure at least 25 percent of votes in prescribed elections to justify their continued registration.
The forum therefore urged the court to order the deregistration of the parties, insisting that the defendants had not presented sufficient arguments to counter its claims.