Sowore condemns court order deregistering ADC, four other parties

Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has 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.

Sowore described the development as undemocratic and inconsistent with the principles of a multi-party democracy.

In a post on X on Monday, the human rights activist criticised the deregistration of political parties that had already concluded their primaries and were preparing for future elections.

“I totally condemn the deregistration of political parties that have already concluded their primaries and are preparing for general elections. Such an action is undemocratic and unjustifiable in a multi-party democracy, it shall not stand,” he wrote.

Sowore’s reaction followed a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered INEC to deregister five political parties for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.

The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress, the Action Peoples Party, the Action Alliance, the Accord Party and the Zenith Labour Party.

In the judgment delivered on Monday, the court held that the parties breached provisions of Section 225 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The section empowers INEC to deregister political parties that fail to secure elective positions during elections at the federal, state and local government levels.

Justice Lifu ruled that the affected parties no longer met the constitutional threshold required to retain their registration and consequently directed the electoral commission to remove them from the list of recognised political parties.