Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the Federal High Court’s directive for the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties as the biggest manifestation of President Bola Tinubu’s desperation to undermine the opposition and entrench a de facto one-party State.
In a post on his X handle on Monday, Paul Ibe said Nigerians and the international community can now see the level of desperation of the government and the ruling party to either have their way in the 2027 elections or destroy democracy.
The post read: “The so-called deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) @ADCNig along with other parties by Justice Peter Lifu may yet be the biggest manifestation of Tinubu’s hell-bent bid to undermine the opposition and entrench a de facto one-party state. The judgment is the height of judicial rascality.
“The Court of Appeal presided over by Justices Mohammed A. Danjuma, Adebunkunola A. Banjoko, Oyejoju O. Oyewumi, in Appeal CA/ABJ/CV/569/2026 and suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2025, had ordered Justice Peter Lifu to stay further action on the matter until the hearing and determination of the appeal before it. The hearing of the appeal was scheduled for October 27, 2026. That order was dated May 22, 2026.
“Nigerians and the international community can see the level of desperation of the government and the ruling party to either have their way in the 2027 elections or destroy our democracy, which was purchased at a huge cost.”
On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC, the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The court order followed a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu.
The National Forum of Former Legislators, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, asked the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to remove political parties that fail to meet the electoral performance thresholds set out in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as reinforced by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s regulations.
The plaintiff argued that the five political parties listed as defendants had persistently failed to meet the constitutional benchmarks required to retain their registration.
The former legislators stressed that the requirements include winning at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or securing at least one elective seat at national, state or local government level.
They told the court that the ADC and the four other parties performed poorly in both the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC, thereby failing to win seats across key tiers of government.
The litigants insisted that the continued existence of the ADC and the other defendants as recognised political parties is unlawful and undermines the integrity of the country’s electoral system.
Among other reliefs, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that INEC is duty-bound to deregister such parties.
It further urged the court to compel the commission to deregister the five political parties before preparations for the 2027 elections advance further.
Beyond declaratory reliefs, the plaintiff prayed the court to restrain the five affected parties from participating in general elections or engaging in political activities such as campaigns, rallies and primaries.
It also sought an injunction restraining INEC from recognising or dealing with the parties in any official capacity unless and until they strictly comply with constitutional provisions.