The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), and three other political parties.
The order, which follows a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, also affects the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The court’s decision was the outcome of a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The plaintiffs asked the court to determine if INEC has a constitutional obligation to remove political parties that fail to meet the performance thresholds set out in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s regulations.
The former legislators argued that the five political parties had persistently failed to meet the required constitutional benchmarks. These benchmarks include winning at least 25 percent of the votes in a state during a presidential election or securing at least one elective seat at the national, state, or local government level.
The plaintiffs informed the court that the ADC and the four other parties performed poorly in both the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, failing to win seats across key tiers of government. They maintained that the continued recognition of these parties is unlawful and undermines the integrity of the nation’s electoral system.
Consequently, the court was urged to declare that INEC is duty-bound to deregister such parties and to compel the commission to do so before preparations for the 2027 elections advance further. Beyond these declaratory reliefs, the plaintiffs successfully sought to restrain the five affected parties from participating in general elections or engaging in political activities such as campaigns, rallies, and primaries.
The suit also sought an injunction restraining INEC from recognizing or dealing with the parties in any official capacity.
