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 poor electoral performance.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The court’s decision followed a suit filed by a group of former lawmakers who argued that the parties failed to meet the constitutional requirements for retaining their registration.
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According to the plaintiffs, Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers INEC to deregister political parties that fail to secure at least 25 percent of votes in a state during a presidential election or win elective positions at the federal, state, or local government levels.
They maintained that the five parties did not meet the required electoral benchmarks in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, yet remained registered.
The group further argued that allowing the parties to continue operating despite their poor performance undermines the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system and urged the court to compel INEC to act before preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.
In his judgment, Justice Peter Lifu agreed with the plaintiffs’ submissions and directed INEC to deregister the five political parties.
The plaintiffs had also sought orders restraining the affected parties from conducting primaries, rallies, or participating in elections pending compliance with constitutional provisions.
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