Electoral commission has rejected calls to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that the party has not breached any legal thresholds required for such a drastic sanction.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) clarified its position following a formal petition by a pressure group seeking the party’s dissolution over alleged internal administrative lapses and poor electoral performance in recent cycles.
“The power to deregister political parties is neither discretionary nor subject to political pressure, but strictly governed by extant laws and constitutional provisions,” the commission stated in its submission.
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 what some describe as attempts to use the judiciary for partisan purposes.
Reacting to the development, Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, described the alleged attempt to deregister the ADC as politically motivated.
“What we are witnessing is the unravelling of a poorly scripted political ambush designed to cripple opposition voices,” Shaibu said
He added that INEC’s position validates concerns about the case.
“The fact that INEC itself has come forward to puncture the legal vacuum of this application speaks volumes. It confirms what Nigerians already suspect, that this was never about law, but about intimidation,” he stated.
Shaibu warned against what he described as attempts to weaken political competition.
“No democracy survives where the ruling party seeks to eliminate competition through the back door. Nigeria is bigger than any administration, and its democratic space cannot be shrunk to accommodate political insecurity,” he said.
While the party’s registration is valid, INEC did temporarily freeze certain party activities on April 1, 2026, due to an ongoing leadership dispute between different factions.
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.
