The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ekiti State, Dare Bejide, has assured party members and supporters that a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the party will not affect its participation in the June 20 governorship election.
Bejide, through the party’s spokesman in Ekiti State, Gboyega Aribisogan, said the ruling remains subject to appeal and does not pose an immediate threat to the party’s presence on the ballot for Saturday’s poll.
The ADC candidate urged supporters to remain calm, stressing that the party’s national leadership had already initiated steps to challenge the judgment through the appellate courts.
According to Aribisogan, the decision of the Federal High Court is not final and cannot extinguish the party’s legal rights while the appeal process remains open.
“It is not an issue because it is a Federal High Court judgment, which is very open to appeal. So, it has nothing to do with the governorship poll in Ekiti,” he said.
He argued that the judicial process allows parties affected by such decisions to seek redress at higher courts, insisting that the judgment does not automatically prevent the ADC from carrying out its political activities.
“If you deregister a party, it is not an Act of Parliament, and at the same time it is not a Supreme Court judgment. At the High Court level, which is a lower court, they can give judgment in whatever form, but the appeal and Supreme Court processes are still there,” Aribisogan added.
The party spokesman disclosed that preparations were already underway to file a notice of appeal, expressing confidence that the legal challenge would address concerns arising from the court’s verdict.
“It is still a subsisting order, but if INEC goes ahead to obey the order, it has nothing to do with the fact that the appeal process is open to the same judgment. I know that the party has prepared to appeal the judgment almost immediately,” he stated.
He maintained that the forthcoming governorship election would proceed with the ADC participating fully, noting that the electoral process had advanced beyond the stage where such a ruling could disrupt the poll.
“So, there is nothing to fear. It is not going to affect the party because the June 20 governorship election is already in the pipeline and it has nothing to do with it,” he said.
Aribisogan also sought to reassure party faithful that a formal response to the judgment would be made within a short time.
“How many hours will it take the party to appeal the judgment and file a notice of appeal? Within the next 24 hours, the party will respond in a manner that brings calm to its members and supporters.
“Members of ADC and supporters should not be distracted by the judgment because it has nothing to do with the election coming up on Saturday,” he added.
The spokesman further pointed out that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had already concluded key preparations for the election, including the printing and delivery of ballot papers.
“The ballot paper has arrived, and the court never said that ADC should be removed from the ballot in Ekiti. The court has not said the party should not participate.
“The order is very simple: saying that a party should be deregistered does not automatically mean the party can no longer carry out its activities until the entire legal process is completed,” he said.
The reassurance comes amid concerns generated by the Federal High Court ruling directing the deregistration of the ADC and four other political parties over their failure to meet constitutional requirements.
