Court orders INEC to deregister ADC and four other political parties – THISAGE

By Victor Osula, Abuja

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for failure to meet constitutional electoral performance requirements.

The other political parties affected are Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labor Party (ZLP).

Justice Peter Lifu made the order on Monday while delivering judgment in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators against INEC and the political parties concerned.

The appellants had asked the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to meet electoral performance benchmarks as set out in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), provisions further strengthened by the Electoral Act 2022 and existing INEC regulations.

According to previous lawmakers, the five parties listed as defendants had consistently failed to meet the constitutional requirements necessary to maintain their registration as recognized political parties in Nigeria.

They argued that under the law, political parties are required to secure at least 25% of votes cast in at least one state during a presidential election or win at least one elected position at the national, state or local government level to remain legally registered.

The applicants told the court that the ADC, APP, AA, Accord Party and ZLP performed poorly during the 2023 general elections, as well as in subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC, by failing to win seats in critical levels of government and therefore failing to meet constitutional thresholds.

In their view, the litigants argued that INEC’s maintenance of stakeholder recognition was illegal and compromised the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.

Among various remedies sought, the petitioners asked the court to declare that INEC is constitutionally obliged to cancel the registration of political parties that do not meet the required electoral parameters.

They also asked the court to compel the electoral commission to immediately remove the five parties from the lists before preparations for the 2027 general elections progress further.

In addition to seeking expungement, the plaintiffs urged the court to bar the affected political parties from participating in future elections or engaging in political activities, including campaigns, conventions, rallies, conventions, primaries, and candidate nominations.

Furthermore, they sought an injunction preventing INEC from recognising, dealing with or granting official status to the five parties unless they fully comply with the constitutional requirements governing the registration of political parties.

Justice Lifu, in his ruling, agreed with the arguments presented by the plaintiffs and subsequently directed INEC to initiate immediate steps towards deregistration of the affected political parties in line with constitutional provisions.

INEC is yet to issue an official statement indicating whether it will immediately comply with the court’s directive or challenge the ruling on appeal.

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