The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for failing to satisfy constitutional requirements governing political party participation in Nigeria.
Delivering judgement on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the affected parties did not meet the legal threshold of securing at least 25 per cent of votes in the last general elections, as stipulated by law.
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 also ordered INEC not to allow the parties to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, on the grounds that they failed to meet the constitutional benchmark.
Before issuing the ruling, Justice Lifu dismissed several preliminary objections filed by the defendants, clearing the way for the substantive judgment.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the five political parties, with INEC listed as the first defendant and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) joined in the suit.
The plaintiff argued that the parties failed to comply with constitutional provisions relating to electoral performance and geographical spread. According to the group, political parties are required to secure "at least 25 per cent of votes in prescribed elections" to retain their legal status.
The forum urged the court to order the deregistration of the parties, maintaining that none of the defendants had presented sufficient arguments to counter its claims.
Consequently, the court granted the reliefs sought and ordered INEC to proceed with the deregistration of the affected parties. (NAN)
