A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties over their alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The affected parties are the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The judgment followed a suit filed by a group of former lawmakers, who asked the court to determine whether INEC was constitutionally obligated to deregister political parties that failed to satisfy the performance thresholds stipulated under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The plaintiffs argued that the affected parties had consistently failed to meet the conditions required to retain their registration, including securing at least 25 percent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at the federal, state, or local government levels.
According to the group, the parties failed to attain the required electoral performance during the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.
The former lawmakers contended that allowing such parties to remain registered despite their poor electoral performance was contrary to the provisions of the constitution and undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
They urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties before preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum.
The plaintiffs also sought an order restraining the affected parties from participating in elections, conducting primaries, holding rallies, or engaging in other political activities pending compliance with constitutional requirements.
Delivering judgment, Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, upheld the arguments of the plaintiffs and directed INEC to deregister the five political parties.
The ruling, if implemented, could have significant implications for the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election, particularly for the ADC, which recently emerged as a major opposition platform following the defection of several prominent politicians to the party.
