Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has faulted the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the deregistration of the Accord Party and four other political parties, describing the ruling as an abuse of court process and a violation of a subsisting order of the Court of Appeal.
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Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party, on the ground that the parties allegedly failed to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The judgment has sparked reactions from leaders of the affected parties and political figures, especially as it may affect candidates preparing for upcoming elections.
Reacting through a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke said the ruling was questionable because the Court of Appeal had already granted a stay of proceedings in the matter.
According to him, the appellate court’s order remained binding and ought to have halted further proceedings before the Federal High Court.
Adeleke said it was already on record before Justice Lifu that the Court of Appeal, in its proceedings of May 22, 2026, had pronounced that the delivery of judgment formed part of the proceedings of the court and was therefore covered by the stay order.
“It is on record before Justice Peter Lifu that in the record of proceedings of the Court of Appeal of May 22, 2026, which was placed before the court as Exhibit MAC 2, the Court of Appeal specifically pronounced that the delivery of judgment is still part of the proceedings of the court,” the statement said.
The governor urged members and supporters of the Accord Party to remain calm, assuring them that the party’s legal team was already taking necessary steps to challenge the judgment.
He expressed confidence that the appellate court would affirm the rights of the party and its candidates.
“Our rights will be affirmed and our party, the Accord, will be on the ballot on August 15. We will not only be on the ballot, we will win overwhelmingly. Our lawyers are taking all the necessary steps to right the wrong,” Adeleke said.
The governor’s reaction came amid wider criticism of the ruling by affected parties and political actors.
National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, also rejected the judgment, describing it as “an arrow fired at the heart of Nigeria’s democracy,” and assuring members that the ADC would be on the ballot in 2027.
Mark argued that the judgment did not pass the test of law and due process, particularly in view of the Court of Appeal’s earlier stay of proceedings.
Similarly, activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, condemned the deregistration order, saying it was undemocratic to remove parties that had already conducted primaries and were preparing for elections.
The controversy has raised fresh questions about the powers of INEC under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, the effect of appellate court orders on lower court proceedings, and the future of Nigeria’s multi-party system.
With Accord Party, ADC and other affected parties expected to pursue appellate remedies, the legal battle over the status of the deregistered parties appears far from over.
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