Forum of former legislators has applied for an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja to amend its Originating Summons in a suit seeking to compel the deregistration of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Action Alliance (AA) on the alleged breach of Section 225 of the 1999 Constitution

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered an accelerated hearing in a suit, while rejecting a bid by a former senator from Bayelsa State to join it.

The former lawmakers yesterday sought an order to amend their Originating Summons to legally accommodate other political parties found to be in breach of the law alongside the ADC.

In their motion to that effect, argued their counsel, Yakubu Ruba (SAN), the lawmakers insisted that the errant political parties needed to be formally made parties to the suit for the judgment to be enforced against them.

Specifically, the ex-lawmakers urged the court to invoke Order 7, Rule 6, of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules to grant their request in the interest of justice.

The move was, however, vehemently opposed by the ADC, which told the court that the application by the former lawmakers was incompetent, invalid and liable to dismissal.

ADC, through its counsel, Shuaibu Aruwa (SAN), drew the attention of the court to the initial Originating Summons filed on December 8, 2025 in the name, National Forum of former Legislators, while the second Originating Summons filed on January 12, 2026 and sought to be adopted bored a separate name of “Incorporated Trustees of National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL)”.

The senior lawyer argued that there was a difference between the two bodies and that the law requires that parties in a suit must be consistent in their claims, adding that “National Forum of former Legislators” was not consistent with the “Incorporated Trustees of National Forum of former Legislators”.

Aruwa argued that the application by the former legislators was a strange one and ran foul of Section 122 of the Evidence Act, and pleaded with Justice Peter Lifu to take judicial notice of the court’s record, which indicated that the initial Originating Summons was instituted by the NFFL.

According to him, the persons who filed the first Originating Summons of December 8, 2025, are quite different from those who filed the second Originating Summons of January 12, 2026, which they sought to amend, and urged the court to hold that the second Originating Summons sought to be amended was invalid.

Besides, he said that the plaintiff breached the rules of court by unilaterally joining other parties as defendants in the second Originating Summons without the court’s order.

AP, represented by MusibauAdetunbi (SAN), also faulted the former lawmakers’ bid to amend the initial Originating Summons on the ground that it breached the provisions of the law.

The ground of AP’s objection was predicated on the differences in the name of the plaintiff, adding that the defect was so incurable that the application seeking amendment has become liable to dismissal and must be dismissed.

Justice Lifu, after taking arguments for and against the plaintiff’s motion for amendment, fixed April 17 to deliver ruling on whether to allow the sought amendment or refuse it.

THE court presided by Justice Lifu also struck out a joinder application filed by Senator Clever Ikisikpo, which was seen as an attempt to stall proceedings in the case.

The decision followed the formal withdrawal of the application after counsel to the plaintiff informed the court that Ikisikpo is not a registered member of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), the group that instituted the suit.

In a related development, the court granted an application by the AP to file a further counter-affidavit in response to the claims.

Additionally, the court heard an application by the NFFL seeking to amend its originating summons, but deferred ruling on the matter.

The suit seeks a judicial interpretation of Section 225A of the Fourth Alteration Act (2017) of the Nigerian Constitution.

The plaintiffs are urging the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to apply the provision uniformly in the deregistration of political parties.

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NFFL, Raphael Igbokwe, expressed satisfaction with the court’s handling of the case.

According to him, preliminary issues, including motions and applications, were addressed to ensure that all parties are properly before the court. (Guardian)

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