Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has called on United States President Donald Trump and the international community to intervene over the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other political parties.
Frank warned that removing major opposition platforms from the 2027 presidential election could trigger a national crisis and undermine the country’s democracy.
The Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC and four other political parties for allegedly failing to meet constitutional performance requirements.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the ruling in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026.
The other affected parties are the Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party. Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Owerri dismissed a suit seeking APP’s deregistration.
The plaintiff argued that the parties failed to meet constitutional requirements, including winning at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or securing at least one elective seat at the national, state or local government level.
Frank described the move as a threat to Nigeria’s democratic system and alleged that the judgment was part of a plot to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
He called on Trump and members of the international community to intervene to preserve the country’s multi-party democracy.
He noted that the Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Mohammed A. Danjuma, had earlier ordered Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court to stay further proceedings in the matter pending the hearing and determination of an appeal scheduled for October 27, 2026.
Frank questioned the circumstances surrounding the judgement.
“The judgment came suddenly without prior notice to the parties involved. From the information available to us, it appeared that the judgment had been prepared elsewhere and simply delivered by the court,” he alleged.
He claimed that lawyers and parties involved in the case were not informed ahead of the judgment.
“Nobody knew about it. There was no information and no briefing, even to the lawyers representing the parties. The judgment was given suddenly. It was something they plotted and cooked up to make it look legitimate without even notifying the parties involved,” Frank alleged.
“From the information we received, the judgment was written elsewhere and handed to the judge. The Office of the Attorney-General wrote the script and the judge merely played out that script.
“It must be noted that any attempt by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and those working with him to deregister political parties, particularly major opposition parties such as the ADC, will give rise to a crisis that may be difficult to contain.
“This issue goes beyond ADC or any individual politician. It concerns the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freely associate, participate in politics and choose their leaders through competitive and credible elections,” he stated.
The former APC spokesman said opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party, had faced attempts to weaken their structures.
“We have seen efforts to weaken opposition parties across the board—from ADC to PDP, Labour Party and others. These actions appear aimed at suppressing alternative voices and consolidating political control,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the ADC has rejected the court judgment and vowed to challenge it through legal means, while its National Chairman, David Mark, described the ruling as “an arrow fired at the heart of Nigeria’s democracy.”
Mark said the judgment would be overturned by higher courts and assured members that the party would participate in the 2027 elections.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who recently emerged the presidential candidate of the ADC, also condemned the ruling as a threat to democracy.
