By The Metro 
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has moved to challenge a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.
The commission has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking an order to suspend the implementation of the judgment pending the determination of an appeal filed by the affected parties.
The other political parties affected by the ruling are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
At Tuesday’s hearing before a three-member panel of the appellate court, INEC faulted the decision of the Federal High Court to deliver the judgment despite an earlier order issued by the Court of Appeal on May 22.
The commission told the court that it was not officially notified about the delivery of the judgment and only became aware of it after reports emerged in the media. INEC also stated that it supports the appeal filed by the affected political parties.
The parties’ lawyers urged the Court of Appeal to intervene, arguing that the judgment could create complications for the by-elections scheduled to take place in six states on June 20.
They maintained that the Federal High Court acted despite the existence of an order from the appellate court and asked the Court of Appeal to suspend the ruling immediately to preserve the authority of the judicial system.
The lawyers also argued that the decision of the lower court raised concerns about respect for judicial hierarchy and called on the appellate court to use its constitutional powers to address the matter.
The deregistration order followed a case filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which claimed that the five political parties failed to meet the requirements for retaining their registration under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.
The group argued that political parties must secure at least one elective position or obtain a minimum of 25 per cent of votes in at least one state during a presidential election to remain registered.