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 for failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, also affects the 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 seeking an order compelling INEC to enforce Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the electoral body to deregister political parties that fail to satisfy specified electoral benchmarks.
The plaintiffs argued that the affected parties neither secured the minimum level of electoral support nor won elective positions required to justify their continued existence on the commission’s register.
According to them, the parties failed to attain the constitutional thresholds during the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, making them liable for deregistration.
They further contended that the continued registration of parties with little or no electoral presence undermines the objective of strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process and maintaining a credible political system.
In his decision, Justice Lifu upheld the arguments of the plaintiffs, ruling that the parties had not demonstrated the level of electoral performance required by law.
The court subsequently directed INEC to remove the five parties from its register and take the necessary steps to enforce the judgment.
The development is expected to generate intense legal and political debate, particularly as political actors begin positioning ahead of the 2027 general elections. Analysts say the ruling could reshape the country’s party landscape and test the boundaries of constitutional provisions on party registration and deregistration.
The affected parties retain the option of challenging the judgment at the appellate court, while attention is now expected to shift to INEC’s response and the implications for Nigeria’s evolving political environment.
As of the time of filing this report, neither INEC nor the affected parties had officially reacted to the court’s decision.