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

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties over their alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.

 

The affected parties are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

 

Justice Peter Lifu gave the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators.

 

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, the plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to meet the electoral performance thresholds stipulated under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

 

The former lawmakers argued that the five parties consistently failed to satisfy constitutional benchmarks required to retain their registration.

 

According to the plaintiffs, the affected parties did not secure the minimum electoral performance required, including winning at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or obtaining elective seats at the national, state or local government levels.

 

They contended that the parties performed poorly in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC, thereby failing to establish the electoral presence required by law.

 

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

 

They therefore urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties and prevent them from participating in future electoral activities.

 

In his judgment, Justice Lifu agreed with the position of the plaintiffs and directed INEC to deregister the five political parties.

 

The court’s decision could have significant political implications ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly for aspirants seeking to contest under the platforms of the affected parties.

 

INEC is yet to officially react to the judgment or indicate whether it will comply immediately or pursue further legal options.