Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision to suspend the execution of a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties.
The appellate court’s ruling temporarily preserves the legal status of the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party pending the determination of substantive appeals challenging the lower court’s judgment. The Federal High Court had earlier directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the parties over alleged failure to meet constitutional electoral performance requirements.
Reacting to the development, Atiku described the Court of Appeal’s intervention as a positive step for democracy and noted that INEC’s decision to seek a stay of execution was significant. He argued that recent conflicting court decisions had placed the judiciary under intense public scrutiny and called on judges to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.
The former vice president also warned against what he termed attempts to weaken Nigeria’s democratic institutions through judicial actions, insisting that political parties must be given a fair opportunity to participate in the electoral process.
The Court of Appeal is expected to hear the substantive appeal in the coming days, a decision that could have major implications for the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election.
