By Dan Opara

Civic Action for Democracy, CAD, a prominent political pressure group and civic rights organisation in Nigeria, has instituted a major legal action at the Federal High Court, Owerri, Imo State, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to delist and deregister the Action Peoples Party, APP, from its register of political parties ahead of the 2027 General Elections, particularly the 2027 Imo governorship election.

The suit, filed as FHC/OW/CS/03/2026, was formally announced on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, during a world press conference addressed by CAD’s Executive Director, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, with some members of CAD, alongside a team of senior legal practitioners.

ThePressman Newspaper and other media organisations were in attendance at the Federal High Court premises on Owerri and Port Harcourt Road.

Ngoforo disclosed that CAD’s legal action seeks twenty-one reliefs against INEC and APP, insisting that the party was legitimately deregistered by INEC on February 6, 2020, alongside seventy-three other (73) political parties.

He recalled that the Supreme Court in March 2022 upheld INEC’s constitutional powers to deregister parties that failed to meet stipulated electoral performance benchmarks.

He criticised INEC for what he described as “the fraudulent retention of a deregistered political party”, noting that the Commission had repeatedly claimed that a non-existent court injunction had prevented it from enforcing APP’s deregistration.

According to Ngoforo, CAD’s investigations revealed no evidence of such a court order, no case file, and no judicial process to support INEC’s assertions.

CAD is urging the court to order the immediate removal of APP from INEC’s database, as well as the issuance of a perpetual injunction restraining the party from participating in any electoral process.

The group is also seeking an order of mandamus compelling INEC to publish a notice confirming the party’s deregistration.

Furthermore, CAD is asking the court to compel INEC to produce the alleged interim injunction or openly admit that it never existed, and to ensure the identification and prosecution of officials involved in what CAD describes as “institutional fraud”.

The organisation has also filed a Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction, seeking to stop APP from participating in any political activity pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Ngoforo warned that permitting APP to participate in the 2027 general elections could trigger a constitutional crisis, particularly if candidates of a deregistered party find their names on the ballot.

He maintained that APP’s participation in the 2024 local government elections in Rivers and Jigawa states was “illegal and void”.

The Executive Director of CAD, called on the new INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, to restore credibility to the Commission and address what CAD terms “the fraudulent manipulation inherited from past INEC administrations”.

Ngoforo appealed to the judiciary, civil society organisations, the media, and the international community to closely monitor the matter, stressing that the integrity of the 2027 electoral process depends on ensuring that deregistered political parties like APP are not allowed to participate.

He emphasised that CAD’s action is a constitutional intervention aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy, not a politically motivated effort.

“This is a constitutional fight, not a partisan one. We are unrepentantly committed to ending the fraudulent retention of APP in INEC’s register. Nigeria’s democracy must never be compromised,” he stated.

The suit is expected to be assigned to a judge in the coming days, after which hearing dates will be communicated.