BREAKING: Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC, Accord, Three Other Political Parties

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

Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, directing INEC to remove the affected parties from the register of political parties.

The parties affected by the ruling are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, sought the court’s interpretation of Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), alongside relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC regulations governing political party registration.

The plaintiffs argued that the five parties consistently failed to satisfy constitutional performance benchmarks required for their continued existence as registered political parties.

According to the former lawmakers, the constitution requires political parties to secure at least 25 per cent 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 affected parties failed to achieve the required electoral performance during the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.

The plaintiffs further contended that allowing such parties to remain registered undermines the integrity and efficiency of Nigeria’s electoral system.

In addition to seeking their deregistration, the litigants asked the court to restrain the parties from participating in elections, conducting rallies, organising primaries, or engaging in any political activity pending compliance with constitutional provisions.

They also requested an order preventing INEC from recognising or dealing with the parties in any official capacity.

Granting the reliefs sought, the court held that INEC has a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to meet the required electoral thresholds.

The judgment is expected to have significant political implications ahead of the 2027 general elections. It could particularly affect politicians associated with the affected parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose political future may be impacted if the ruling is upheld after any possible appeal process.