Paul Ibe, an aide to the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has slammed President Bola Tinubu after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.

The other parties which will be deregistered by INEC, as ordered by Justice Peter Lifu, include Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

According to the judge, the parties failed to meet the required benchmark to retain their registration.

Reacting, Atiku’s aide said the deregistration order may yet be the biggest manifestation of Tinubu’s hell-bent bid to undermine the opposition and entrench a de facto one-party state.

In a post on X, Ibe described the judgment as the height of judicial rascality.

He recalled that the Court of Appeal presided over by Justices Mohammed A. Danjuma, Adebunkunola A. Banjoko, and Oyejoju O. Oyewumi had in Appeal CA/ABJ/CV/569/2026 and suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2025 ordered Justice Peter Lifu to stay further action on the matter until the hearing and determination of the Appeal before it. He said the hearing for the appeal was scheduled for October 27, 2026, adding that the order was dated May 22, 2026.

He urged Nigerians and the international community to see the level of desperation of the ruling party’s government to either have its way in the 2027 elections or destroy our democracy, which was purchased at a huge cost.