A Federal High Court sitting 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.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu held that the affected parties failed to secure the minimum electoral performance threshold prescribed by law, particularly the requirement to obtain at least 25 per cent of votes in relevant elections.
The parties affected by the ruling are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The court further directed INEC not to allow the parties to participate in future elections, including the 2027 General Elections, having failed to satisfy the constitutional conditions necessary for their continued existence as political parties.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which challenged the legal status of the parties based on their electoral performance.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and INEC were also joined as defendants in the matter.
The plaintiff argued that the affected parties had failed to meet constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance and therefore no longer qualified to remain registered political parties under Nigerian law.
Justice Lifu dismissed the preliminary objections raised by the defendants before granting the reliefs sought by the plaintiff, effectively paving the way for their deregistration.
