Atiku Responds to Appeal Court’s Decision to Suspend ADC Deregistration, Affecting Four Parties

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has praised the Court of Appeal’s ruling to suspend the execution of a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties.

On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja, led by Justice Peter Lifu, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC, the Accord Party, the Action Alliance, the Action Peoples Party, and the Zenith Labour Party.

The Court of Appeal, however, granted a stay of execution on Tuesday, temporarily maintaining the parties’ registration status ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement posted on his X account, the former Vice President welcomed the appellate court’s intervention as a positive development.

“I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgment seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay,” he wrote.

Atiku also criticized what he called judicial contradictions and rulings in the ongoing legal dispute, warning that such developments subject the judiciary to public scrutiny.