INEC Opposes Move to Deregister ADC, Says Legal Grounds Not Met

A fresh twist has emerged in the legal dispute over the status of the African Democratic Congress, as the Independent National Electoral Commission has opposed efforts seeking the party’s deregistration.

INEC, in its filing before the court, rejected the application, insisting that it failed to meet constitutional and legal requirements for deregistering a political party. The commission argued that the power to deregister parties is strictly regulated by law and cannot be exercised arbitrarily or under political influence.

INEC stated that none of the constitutionally recognised grounds for deregistration, such as failure to meet electoral performance thresholds or breach of registration requirements, had been established against the ADC. The commission maintained that its power in this regard is neither discretionary nor subject to political pressure but strictly governed by extant laws.

Legal analysts say INEC’s position significantly weakens the case and could lead to its collapse, given the commission’s central role as the regulator of political parties in Nigeria. The filing has also been interpreted in political and legal circles as an institutional pushback against attempts to use the judiciary for partisan purposes.

Reacting to the development, a senior aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the alleged attempt to deregister the ADC as politically motivated. He said what was unfolding was the unravelling of a poorly scripted political ambush designed to cripple opposition voices. He added that INEC’s position validates concerns that the case was never about law but about intimidation.

The aide warned against attempts to weaken political competition, arguing that no democracy survives where the ruling party seeks to eliminate opposition through the back door. He insisted that Nigeria’s democratic space cannot be shrunk to accommodate political insecurity.

The matter is still before the court, and no official reactions have been received from INEC or the ADC as of the time of filing this report.