Court Halts ADC Deregistration, Atiku Slams Judicial Rascality

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, granted a stay of execution on a Federal High Court judgment that had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties, temporarily preserving the parties’ registration just two days after the controversial ruling sparked a furious political reaction.

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Monday ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party, and Zenith Labour Party, ruling that the parties failed to meet the constitutional performance thresholds under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, which requires parties to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in certain elections or win seats in the 2023 polls. The suit had been filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators.

However, former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar reacted furiously, describing the Federal High Court judgment as ‘the height of judicial rascality’ and accusing the ruling party of a desperate attempt to weaken the opposition and push Nigeria toward a one-party state ahead of 2027. Atiku alleged that Justice Lifu proceeded with the ruling despite a subsisting Court of Appeal order dated May 22, 2026, in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/569/2026, directing him to stay further action pending the determination of the appeal, which had been scheduled for hearing on October 27, 2026.

Appellate Court Accuses Lower Court of Rascality

The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justices Mohammed A. Danjuma, Adebunkunola A. Banjoko, and Oyejoju O. Oyewumi, not only granted the stay but reportedly accused the trial judge of exhibiting judicial rascality by proceeding in defiance of a superior court directive, describing the action as a grave affront to judicial hierarchy and due process.

Atiku welcomed the appellate court’s intervention, noting it was particularly significant that INEC itself had initiated the application for the stay of execution. ‘I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgment seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties,’ Atiku said. He warned, however, that the disturbing spectacle of judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings had placed the judiciary itself under intense public scrutiny, echoing ADC National Chairman Senator David Mark’s observation that the judiciary was now on trial.

Furthermore, the ADC issued its own statement accusing Justice Lifu of being aware of the subsisting stay order and flagrantly disregarding it, calling the action contemptuous. The party alleged that individuals closely associated with the President’s Chief of Staff had actively promoted the underlying case, framing the episode as a politically coordinated attempt to weaken opposition structures ahead of 2027. Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, whose Accord Party platform was also targeted in the ruling, joined Atiku in condemning the judgment. Still, some Nigerians online pushed back on Atiku’s characterisation, with one commenter questioning whether the Court of Appeal order itself contained errors. Notably, the episode has intensified scrutiny of Nigeria’s judiciary at a politically sensitive moment just before the Ekiti governorship election. Consequently, the case adds another flashpoint to a deepening pattern of disputes between opposition parties and the judiciary heading toward 2027.

PDP Leaders Rally Support for Oluyede Ahead of Ekiti Poll

In related political news, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and other PDP leaders rallied support for gubernatorial candidate Oluwole Oluyede ahead of the June 20 Ekiti election, intensifying grassroots mobilisation in the campaign’s final days. In addition, an APC chieftain urged Nigerians to support government and security agencies in the fight against insecurity, expressing optimism for lasting peace. As a result, political mobilisation across party lines is reaching its peak just days before Ekiti voters go to the polls.