The African Democratic Congress has announced plans to challenge a Federal High Court ruling that ordered its deregistration, stating that it will immediately seek redress at the Court of Appeal.
The party maintained that the judgment would not weaken its resolve, stressing that it remains a viable political force capable of defending its existence through the legal process.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed that the party had already begun preparations to contest the decision at the appellate court.
Abdullahi said the ADC was no stranger to adversity, noting that the party had weathered numerous political and institutional obstacles since its formation and remained committed to protecting its mandate.
He said: “By tomorrow morning (Tuesday), ADC will be in the Court of Appeal. Ours is a party that was born out of adversity, and we are accustomed to challenges like these.
“We are not distracted by them. Despite the obstacles, we have built a formidable political party and carried out one of the most ambitious internal democratic exercises in the country.
“What we achieved during our primaries is unprecedented and sets a standard that no other political party in Nigeria has matched.”
The development follows a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC along with Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party.
In its ruling, the court held that the affected political parties failed to meet constitutional conditions required for maintaining their registration status. The judgment further instructed INEC to discontinue recognition of the parties and bar them from taking part in activities related to the 2027 general elections pending the resolution of the legal issues surrounding their status.
The suit was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the parties did not satisfy the electoral benchmarks prescribed by law for registered political organisations.
Despite the verdict, ADC officials have insisted that significant constitutional issues remain unresolved in the case. The party expressed confidence that the appellate courts would ultimately determine the legality of the ruling and has pledged to exhaust all available legal remedies in its bid to overturn the decision.
