Court to Rule on Suit Seeking Deregistration of ADC, Accord, ZLP, AA Over Constitutional Breach
The legal battle over the status of several political parties intensified at the Federal High Court in Abuja, as the Forum of Former Legislators moved to amend its originating summons in a suit challenging the continued registration of some parties over alleged constitutional violations.
PulseNets learnt that the group is seeking the court’s permission to expand its suit to formally include additional political parties accused of breaching provisions of the 1999 Constitution. The parties affected include the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance (AA).
During proceedings on Tuesday, counsel to the former lawmakers, Yakubu Abdullahi Ruba, SAN, told PulseNets that the application became necessary to ensure that any party found wanting under the law is properly joined in the suit, enabling the court’s eventual judgment to be enforceable against them.
He urged the court to rely on Order 7 Rule 6 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules to grant the amendment in the interest of justice.
However, the move faced strong opposition from the ADC. The party, through its counsel, Shuaibu Eneojo Aruwa, SAN, spoke to PulseNets and described the application as legally defective and liable to dismissal.
Aruwa drew the court’s attention to what he described as inconsistencies in the filings, noting that the originating summons filed on December 8, 2025, was instituted in the name of the National Forum of Former Legislators, while a subsequent filing dated January 12, 2026, bore the name of the Incorporated Trustees of the same body.
He argued that both entities are not legally identical and that such inconsistency violates procedural requirements.
“National Forum of former Legislators” was not consistent with the “Incorporated Trustees of National Forum of former Legislators”.
Further challenging the application, Aruwa insisted that the request to amend the summons contravened Section 122 of the Evidence Act. He urged Justice Peter Lifu to take judicial notice of court records, which, according to him, clearly show that the initial suit was filed by a different legal entity.
The persons who filed the first originating summons of December 8, 2025 are quite different from those who filed the second one of January 12, 2026.
He maintained that the second originating summons, which the plaintiffs now seek to amend, is fundamentally invalid. Additionally, he faulted the unilateral inclusion of new defendants without prior court approval, describing it as a breach of procedural rules.
According to him, Order 9 Rule 15 governing amendment of originating summons was grossly violated, as no leave of court was obtained before adding new parties.
The Accord Party, represented by Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, also opposed the amendment, aligning with the ADC’s position that the application does not comply with established legal provisions.
After hearing arguments from all parties, Justice Lifu reserved ruling and fixed April 17 to decide whether the amendment will be granted or refused.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/25, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and the affected political parties.
PulseNets reported that the initial suit targeted only the ADC for deregistration but was later expanded to include other parties alleged to have fallen short of constitutional requirements.
The plaintiffs argue that INEC has a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to meet minimum electoral performance benchmarks. These include securing at least 25 per cent of votes in one state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at any level of government.
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They are seeking declaratory reliefs compelling INEC to enforce these thresholds, alongside mandatory and perpetual injunctions restraining the commission from recognising the political activities of the affected parties until full compliance is achieved.
The former legislators further contend that allowing such parties to participate in the 2027 general elections would unnecessarily crowd ballot papers, strain public resources, and weaken the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
