The national leader of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Ikenga Ugochinyere, has condemned the Federal High Court’s ruling that deregistered five political parties, branding the judgment a direct “invitation to anarchy” and a grave assault on Nigeria’s democratic order.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Abuja Division had ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), APP, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the parties had failed to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday, Mr Ugochinyere – who represents Ideato North/Ideato South federal constituency – warned that allowing the ruling to stand would steer the nation towards perilous political instability. He insisted that democracy cannot flourish when legitimate parties are judicially excluded, particularly where such pronouncements allegedly flout established superior court precedents.
“Our nation cannot be allowed to degenerate to that level,” the lawmaker declared. “This judgment is an invitation to anarchy. Political parties cannot simply be wiped out in a democracy; that is not what democracy represents.”
Mr Ugochinyere maintained that the APP and the other affected parties remain validly registered, citing multiple Federal High Court judgments, a Court of Appeal decision, and a Supreme Court ruling which, he argued, have conclusively interpreted Section 225A of the Constitution. According to him, these precedents establish that parties securing electoral victories – whether at councillorship, chairmanship, state assembly, or National Assembly levels – cannot be deregistered.
He further stressed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had itself informed the court that the affected parties met the constitutional thresholds. He noted that the ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, the APP secured a local government chairmanship in Jigawa, and the Accord Party clinched a seat in the Imo State House of Assembly, among other electoral successes.
Despite this official acknowledgment, Mr Ugochinyere lamented that the judgment proceeded regardless, a development he said has left many Nigerians deeply anxious about the future of democracy and the rule of law.
The APP leader has consequently called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to convene an emergency session to investigate the circumstances surrounding the ruling and, where necessary, take disciplinary action. He also urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to rise in defence of judicial integrity, warning that public confidence in the justice system would suffer irreparable damage if allegations of disregard for superior court decisions are left unaddressed.