A fresh twist has emerged in the legal dispute over the status of the African Democratic Congress, as the Independent National Electoral Commission has opposed efforts seeking the party’s deregistration.

Court documents obtained by this correspondent show that INEC, in its filing before the court, rejected the application, insisting that it failed to meet constitutional and legal requirements for deregistering a political party.

The commission argued that the power to deregister political parties is strictly regulated by law and cannot be exercised arbitrarily or under political influence.

INEC stated that none of the constitutionally recognised grounds for deregistration, such as failure to meet electoral performance thresholds or breach of registration requirements, had been established against the ADC.

“The power to deregister political parties is neither discretionary nor subject to political pressure, but strictly governed by extant laws and constitutional provisions,” the commission stated in its submission.

Legal analysts say INEC’s position significantly weakens the case and could lead to its collapse, given the commission’s central role as the regulator of political parties in Nigeria.

The filing has also been interpreted in political and legal circles as an institutional pushback against what some describe as attempts to use the judiciary for partisan purposes.

Reacting to the development, Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, described the alleged attempt to deregister the ADC as politically motivated.

“What we are witnessing is the unravelling of a poorly scripted political ambush designed to cripple opposition voices,” Shaibu said

He added that INEC’s position validates concerns about the case.

“The fact that INEC itself has come forward to puncture the legal vacuum of this application speaks volumes. It confirms what Nigerians already suspect, that this was never about law, but about intimidation,” he stated.

Shaibu warned against what he described as attempts to weaken political competition.

“No democracy survives where the ruling party seeks to eliminate competition through the back door. Nigeria is bigger than any administration, and its democratic space cannot be shrunk to accommodate political insecurity,” he said.

The matter is still before the court, and no official reactions have been received from INEC or the ADC as of the time of filing this report. (The PUNCH)