A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties — and one of them, Accord Party, isn't going quietly.

The National Chairman of Accord Party, Maxwell Mgbudem, said on Monday that the party will appeal the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu. The ruling ordered INEC to remove the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) from its register.

But Mgbudem says the whole thing is a mess of judicial disobedience. According to him, the Court of Appeal had already issued an order directing a stay of proceedings in the matter — meaning the trial court should have paused and waited. Instead, Justice Lifu went ahead and delivered judgment anyway.

“It's curious that the Federal High Court would proceed to deliver judgment on a matter before the Court of Appeal,” Mgbudem said in a statement.

He argued that the judgment forms part of the proceedings covered by the appellate court's stay order. He said courts, as institutions that are supposed to be governed by the rule of law, shouldn't disregard valid judicial orders.

The case was brought by the National Forum of Former Legislators. They asked the court to decide whether INEC had a constitutional duty to deregister parties that failed to meet the electoral performance thresholds in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), reinforced by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC regulations.

Accord Party insists it shouldn't have been caught in this net. Mgbudem said the party met the requirements — it won two councillorship seats in Jigawa State. That, he argued, should be enough to keep it registered.

Accord has assured its members, candidates, and supporters that it will remain on the ballot for upcoming elections, including the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and the 2027 general elections. The party says preparations for the 2027 polls are still on course, including the planned launch of the Imole campaign in Osun State.

“The attempt to distract our great party by anti-democratic forces has failed and will continue to fail,” Mgbudem said.

He reaffirmed the party's commitment to the rule of law, constitutional governance, and the promotion of a vibrant multiparty democracy. He urged members to stay united.

The legal team has already started work to overturn the judgment. For now, the five parties remain in a legal limbo — deregistered by the High Court but fighting to get back on the ballot.