Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, have rejected a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of five political parties, describing the ruling as controversial and undemocratic.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
Governor Adeleke, reacting through his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, described the ruling as an abuse of court process and a violation of a subsisting order of the Court of Appeal.
He argued that the Court of Appeal had already issued a stay of proceedings on the matter, insisting that the lower court ought not to have proceeded to deliver judgment.
Adeleke maintained that records before the court showed that the appellate court had expressly indicated that the delivery of judgment remained part of the proceedings it had stayed.
He urged supporters in Osun State to remain calm, expressing confidence that the Court of Appeal would revisit the matter and that his party would remain on the ballot for the forthcoming governorship election.
Meanwhile, Sowore also criticised the ruling, describing it as an attack on democratic choice and multi-party participation.
In a post on social media, he faulted the deregistration of parties that had already conducted primaries and were preparing for elections, insisting the decision was unjustifiable.
The court, however, ruled that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional requirements under Section 225 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers INEC to deregister parties that do not secure elective positions across federal, state, and local government levels.
Justice Lifu held that the parties no longer satisfied the legal threshold for continued registration and ordered INEC to strike them off the register.
The judgment has triggered fresh political and legal debate, with stakeholders divided over its implications for Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the next general elections.
