Appeal Court adjourns ADC de-registration case till July 7

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has postponed a hearing concerning the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and three other political parties. The case, initially set for June 25, will now be heard on July 7. This delay is to provide all involved parties with adequate time to submit and exchange their legal briefs.

During Thursday's proceedings, counsel for the Accord Party, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), informed the court that the record of appeal and the Federal High Court's judgment were only recently obtained. He requested a brief adjournment to facilitate the filing of necessary documents. The court, led by Justice Abubakar Mohammed, agreed to the postponement, noting that official engagements would prevent an earlier hearing.

The appeal challenges a Federal High Court judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party. Justice Peter Lifu had ruled that these parties failed to meet the constitutional requirements for registration. However, INEC has opposed the deregistration, presenting evidence that the parties met the necessary thresholds and secured elective positions in past elections.

In a related development, the Court of Appeal had previously issued a stay of execution on the Federal High Court's judgment on June 16. This ruling prevented INEC from enforcing the deregistration while the appeal is pending. The appellate court had criticized Justice Lifu for proceeding with the judgment despite an earlier directive to suspend proceedings, deeming it a violation of judicial hierarchy.

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The record of appeal and the judgment of the Federal High Court were only obtained on Monday and had since been transmitted to the appellate court.