Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC and Four Other Political Parties

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties over their failure to meet the constitutional conditions required for continued existence as registered political parties in Nigeria.

The judgment was delivered on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu, who held that the affected parties failed to comply with provisions of Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which sets minimum electoral performance standards for political parties.

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

According to the court, political parties are required to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in at least one state during a presidential election or win elective positions at the federal, state, or local government levels in order to retain their registration status.

The ruling followed a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, who argued that the affected parties had consistently failed to meet the constitutional threshold in both the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections.

Justice Lifu held that INEC is constitutionally empowered to deregister parties that fail to meet these benchmarks, stressing that compliance with electoral performance standards is essential for maintaining a credible political system.

The court’s decision is expected to trigger significant political reactions, as the affected parties have yet to issue official responses following the judgment.