Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has strongly condemned a Federal High Court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.
Reacting to the judgment, Sowore described the decision as undemocratic and contrary to the principles of a multi-party democracy. He argued that the affected parties had already concluded their primaries and were preparing for future elections, making the ruling particularly troubling.
According to reports, Justice Peter Lifu ordered INEC to remove the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party from its register for allegedly failing to meet constitutional electoral performance requirements.
In a post on X, Sowore said he “totally condemns” the deregistration of parties that have already conducted primaries and are preparing for elections, insisting that such an action “shall not stand.” He maintained that political pluralism is essential to Nigeria’s democratic system.
The ruling has also drawn criticism from the ADC, whose spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, described it as a “direct invitation to anarchy” and vowed to challenge the judgment through all available legal and constitutional channels.
The case stems from a suit seeking the deregistration of parties alleged to have failed to satisfy constitutional thresholds relating to electoral performance. The judgment could have significant implications for Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of future elections.
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