A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission, to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other registered political parties in the country.
The ruling also affects the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), all of which the court held should be removed from INEC’s register.
News Point Nigeria reports that the suit was 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 five political parties had consistently failed to meet the conditions required for maintaining their registration, including securing at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at the national, state, or local government levels.
According to the group, the affected parties failed to attain the required electoral performance benchmarks during the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.
They further contended that allowing the parties to remain registered despite their poor electoral showing was contrary to constitutional provisions and undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
The former lawmakers urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties before preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum.
They also sought additional orders restraining the affected parties from participating in elections, conducting party primaries, organising political rallies, or carrying out any other political activities pending compliance with constitutional requirements.
Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Peter Lifu upheld the arguments advanced by the plaintiffs and ruled in their favour.
The presiding judge subsequently ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties, agreeing that they had failed to satisfy the constitutional thresholds required to remain on the electoral commission’s register.
The judgment represents a significant development in Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election and could have far-reaching implications for the affected parties and the broader electoral process.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC and the affected political parties had not officially reacted to the court’s decision.
