Court Orders INEC To Deregister ADC And Four Other Political Parties

The 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 alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.

The parties affected by the ruling delivered by Justice Peter Lifu include the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The judgment followed a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which asked the court to determine whether INEC is constitutionally required to deregister parties that fail to meet electoral performance thresholds under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.

The plaintiffs argued that the affected parties failed to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during presidential elections or win any legislative seats at national, state, or local government levels.

They further told the court that the parties performed poorly in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, and therefore no longer meet the legal conditions for continued recognition.

The court also heard arguments seeking to restrain the affected parties from participating in future elections or political activities, and to compel INEC to stop recognising them in any official capacity.

The ruling is expected to have significant political implications ahead of the 2027 general elections, including potential effects on candidates of the affected parties.