By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Abuja

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, deferred the full-blown hearing of substantive appeals seeking to set aside the judgment that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties until July 14.

The adjournment followed the failure of some of the parties to file and exchange the necessary processes in time.

Some of the respondents drew the attention of the court to processes they said were served on them before the commencement of the proceedings and requested time to file their responses.

Consequently, the Justice Abba Mohammed-led three-member panel shifted the scheduled hearing to enable all the parties to regularise their processes.

The panel had, on June 25, okayed the hearing of the appeals after housekeeping proceedings that enabled the parties in the matter to identify some of the processes they had filed.

Aside from the ADC, the other parties seeking nullification of the Federal High Court judgment are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

It will be recalled that the appellate court had, on June 16, ordered a stay of execution of the High Court judgment, even as it slammed the trial judge for disregarding the judicial hierarchy.

The panel berated Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja for disobeying an order it had made on May 22, which directed him to stay proceedings in the case pending the outcome of an appeal by the parties.

According to the appellate court, even though the trial judge’s attention had been drawn to the order for a stay of proceedings, he intentionally flouted it and went ahead to deliver the judgment.

It held that Justice Lifu’s action was “a form of judicial impertinence,” stressing that the Supreme Court had previously held that a judge who acts in such a manner “is unfit for the bench, as the conduct amounts to judicial rascality.”

The High Court had directed INEC to deregister the five political parties, which it said had failed to meet the constitutional requirements needed to warrant their continued existence and participation in future elections.

It also barred INEC from further according recognition to the parties, accepting nominations of candidates from the affected parties, or giving effect to their activities for the purposes of participating in the 2027 general elections.

Justice Lifu ordered the defendants to stop parading themselves as registered political parties in the country, saying he found merit in the suit filed against them by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL).

The NFFL had, 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.

It was the plaintiffs’ position 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 the votes in a state during a presidential election, or securing at least one elective seat at the national, state, or local government level.

They told the court that the ADC and the four other parties had performed poorly in both the 2023 general elections and the 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.

Notably, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who is also a defendant in the matter, threw his weight behind the plaintiffs.

In processes filed before the court, the AGF argued that the continued existence of the said political parties violates extant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and ultimately undermines the nation’s electoral integrity.

The AGF argued that unless the court intervened, INEC would continue to act in breach of its constitutional duty by retaining parties that have failed to meet the minimum requirements prescribed by law.

However, dissatisfied with the trial court’s verdict, all the defendants, including INEC, have urged the appellate court to set it aside.

Members of Abia South Senatorial District under the aegis of Asiwaju Tsunami group have declared that the All Progressives Congress, APC, will defeat Labour Party senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, in the 2027 election.

The group which addressed the press in Aba on Tuesday, said that APC will record a resounding victory in Abia South and other parts of the state through the leader of Asiwaju Tsunami, Paul Ikonne .

The group which spoke through Chinwe Nwangaga on Tuesday, said the APC will take over the Abia South Senate seat from Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe through Ikonne.

The group argued that the Obingwa section of the Abia South political bloc which produced Abaribe, former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and other politicians, have been dominating the district for over 20 years.

It also pointed to Ikpeazu’s appointment as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain as evidence of the long-standing domination by the Obingwa section.

“Since 2007 when I ran for deputy governor, Abaribe has been in the Senate. We want a fresh person. We want a fresh idea and we have no doubt that Ikonne will beat anybody to win the election,” Nwanganga said.

The APC group while thanking President Bola Tinubu and the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, for being impartial in Abia South APC primary elections,  maintained that the national leadership of the party reserves the final decision on matters concerning APC candidates in Abia.

A cheiftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in the South-East, Mr Maxwell Igbokwe, has urged the party to swiftly resolve all outstanding primary disputes before INEC’s deadline for uploading candidates’ names.

Igbokwe made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

He said resolving the disputes promptly was necessary to preserve the party’s unity, strengthen public confidence, and ensure its preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

He advised the party’s leadership against imposing candidates and delaying the release of outstanding primary election results.

NAN reports that INEC had fixed July 11 as deadline for parties to upload names of National Assembly candidates and July 17 as deadline for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates.

According to Igbokwe, any action short of transparency and accountability on the outcome of the party’s primaries can undermine internal democracy and party unity ahead of the general elections.

Igbokwe said the party was founded to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative based on transparency, accountability and internal democracy, warning that any departure from those principles could damage its credibility.

He urged the party’s national leadership to adhere strictly to the NDC constitution and ensure that only names of duly elected candidates were submitted to INEC.

He further expressed concern that the results of some primary elections conducted more than two months ago had yet to be officially released.

According to him, the delay has created uncertainty among party members and could erode confidence in the party’s commitment to transparency and fairness.

“We call on the leadership of our party to uphold the NDC constitution, respect the outcome of a transparent and lawful primary process and ensure that no individual is imposed on the people,” he said.

He particularly raised concerns over the House of Representatives primary election for the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alleging attempts to manipulate the nomination process.

“Our objective is not to sow division but to protect the integrity of our party and preserve the democratic ideals that inspired millions of Nigerians to believe in our vision for a better nation,” he said.