|By Chinwendu Nwani
A civil society organisation, Civic Action for Democracy (CAD), has approached the Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately remove the Action Peoples Party (APP) from its register of political parties.
The suit, filed with number FHC/OW/CS/03/2026, challenges what the group described as the unlawful retention of the APP in INEC’s database despite its deregistration several years ago.
Addressing journalists after filing the case, CAD’s Executive Director, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, said the legal action followed findings that the APP remains listed as a registered political party long after it was officially deregistered.
Ngoforo warned that allowing the APP to participate in any electoral process would amount to an electoral anomaly and a direct threat to Nigeria’s democratic framework. He said the group approached the court to defend democracy, protect the integrity of the electoral system, and uphold the Constitution.
According to him, the suit is challenging INEC’s continued recognition of the APP, which he described as illegal and unconstitutional. He stressed that the matter goes beyond technical legality, adding that it strikes at the heart of democratic governance.
CAD is asking the court to grant 21 reliefs, including declarations that the APP was validly deregistered on February 6, 2020, and that INEC’s claim of acting under a restraining court order is false and amounts to fraud.
The group is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognising the APP or allowing it to participate in any electoral activity.
Ngoforo insisted that the action is not politically motivated, describing CAD as a non-partisan organisation with no affiliation to any political party.
He maintained that the organisation has no interest in electoral outcomes, provided elections are conducted in line with constitutional provisions and democratic principles.
The CAD director further alleged that retaining the APP on INEC’s register could be part of a scheme to exploit legal loopholes capable of undermining or nullifying the 2027 general elections, warning that such a scenario must be prevented.
He noted that the APP was deregistered pursuant to Sections 225 and 225A of the Constitution and Section 94 of the Electoral Act, adding that the Supreme Court, in March 2022, affirmed the party’s deregistration.
Ngoforo questioned INEC’s continued reluctance to comply with existing court decisions and called on Nigerians and pro-democracy groups to defend constitutional governance and resist any form of electoral manipulation.
