Atiku welcomes Appeal Court stay of ADC deregistration as INEC backs move to save opposition parties
Atiku Abubakar welcomed the Court of Appeal's Tuesday decision to halt the execution of a Federal High Court judgment seeking to deregister ADC and four other parties (Accord, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party, Zenith Labour Party), calling it significant that INEC itself initiated the stay application. The appeal court suspended the judgment after finding trial judge Peter Lifu violated its earlier order of stay of proceedings by proceeding with the deregistration ruling. Atiku warned that conflicting judicial decisions and politically sensitive rulings have placed the judiciary under intense public scrutiny, arguing any attempt to undermine Nigeria's democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. He urged courts to uphold constitutional principles and the rule of law, noting the judiciary still has an opportunity to stand firmly on the side of the Constitution and Nigerian people. The stay preserves ADC's presidential candidate eligibility for next year's race, which would have been knocked out immediately if the judgment had been executed. The substantive appeal is scheduled for June 25, determining whether the parties meet constitutional registration thresholds under Section 225(a) after allegedly failing to meet performance thresholds in previous elections. INEC, which opposed the suit at trial court, sought the stay to comply with the appeal court's earlier order halting proceedings. This development directly impacts opposition parties' ability to contest the 2027 elections and highlights ongoing tensions between judicial branches over electoral regulation.