The National Leader of the Action Peoples Party, APP, Ikenga Ugochinyere has called on the National Judicial Council, NJC, to investigate the circumstances surrounding a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of five political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) over alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The suit was instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which sought an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the parties from its register.
Reacting to the judgment in Abuja, Ugochinyere, a member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, expressed concern over what he described as the implications of the ruling for Nigeria’s democratic process and the rule of law.
He urged the NJC to examine the circumstances surrounding the judgment, alleging that previous judicial decisions and legal arguments presented before the court were not adequately considered.
The lawmaker also called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to safeguard the integrity of the judicial process, warning that “public confidence in the justice system could be undermined if concerns raised about the judgment were not properly addressed.”
“The judiciary remains the last hope of the common man. If judgments of superior courts can be ignored, then we are endangering one of the most important institutions of our democracy,” he said.
Ugochinyere maintained that the affected political parties remained validly registered and would continue their political activities while pursuing available legal options.
According to him, previous court decisions had interpreted constitutional provisions relating to the registration and deregistration of political parties, particularly those that had secured electoral victories at various levels.
He further argued that some of the affected parties had recorded electoral successes that, in his view, satisfied constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The APP leader warned against actions capable of narrowing Nigeria’s democratic space ahead of future elections, stressing the importance of political participation and electoral competition in a democratic system.
He appealed to judicial authorities, legal practitioners and other stakeholders to “protect the integrity of the electoral system and sustain public confidence in democratic institutions.”
Ugochinyere expressed confidence that the issues arising from the judgment would be addressed through lawful and constitutional means.
