Deregistration Judgment: Ugochinyere Seeks Sanctions against the Judge

……Urges NJC, NBA to summon emergency meeting

The lawmaker representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State and national leader of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Ikenga Ugochinyere, has called for sanctions against the Judge even as condemned the Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of five political parties, describing it as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy and an “invitation to anarchy.”

Ugochinyere called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to urgently intervene, including convening emergency meetings to review the circumstances surrounding the judgment and sanction the trial judge if found culpable.

The lawmaker was reacting to a ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), 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 affected parties from its register.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday, Ugochinyere argued that the judgment ignored existing judicial precedents and could undermine democratic participation if allowed to stand.

“This judgment is an invitation to anarchy. Political parties cannot simply be wiped out in a democracy because that is not what democracy represents,” he said.

He maintained that the affected parties remain legally registered and would continue participating in electoral activities while pursuing legal remedies against the ruling.

According to him, previous decisions of the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court had already interpreted Section 225A of the Constitution, establishing that political parties which secured electoral victories could not be deregistered.

Ugochinyere further alleged that INEC informed the court that the affected parties had met constitutional requirements for continued registration through electoral successes at various levels.

He claimed that the judgment was delivered despite a subsisting Court of Appeal order staying proceedings pending the determination of an appeal related to the matter.

Describing the development as unprecedented, the APP leader urged the NJC to investigate the conduct of the proceedings and take disciplinary action where necessary.

He also called on the NBA to defend the integrity of the judiciary, warning that public confidence in the justice system could be eroded if allegations of disregard for superior court decisions are not 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 also cautioned against efforts to shrink Nigeria’s political space ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that voters should be allowed to choose freely from a wide range of political parties.

“Let all political parties participate and let Nigerians decide who they want. Democracy is about participation and competition, not exclusion,” he added.

He urged judicial authorities, legal practitioners and other democratic stakeholders to take swift action to protect the integrity of the electoral process and preserve confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.