A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.
The affected parties are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The suit was filed by a group of former lawmakers, who asked the court to determine whether INEC is constitutionally obligated to deregister political parties that fail to meet the performance benchmarks outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The plaintiffs argued that the five parties had repeatedly failed to satisfy the conditions required to maintain their registration, including obtaining at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or securing elective offices at the national, state, or local government levels.
According to the group, the parties did not achieve the prescribed electoral performance during the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.
The former lawmakers maintained that allowing the parties to remain registered despite their poor electoral records was inconsistent with constitutional provisions and undermined the credibility of the electoral system.
They urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties ahead of preparations for the 2027 general election.
The plaintiffs also sought orders preventing the affected parties from taking part in elections, conducting primary elections, organising political rallies, or engaging in other political activities until they complied with constitutional requirements.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu upheld the plaintiffs’ arguments and ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties.