BREAKING: Court Directs INEC to Deregister ADC, Four Other Political Parties [Details]

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), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The case was brought before 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 necessary to retain their registration, including obtaining at least 25 percent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective offices at the federal, state, or local government levels.

According to the suit, the parties did not achieve the required electoral performance in the 2023 general elections or in subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.

The plaintiffs maintained that allowing the parties to remain registered despite their poor electoral records violated constitutional provisions and undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.

They urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections. They also sought orders preventing the affected parties from participating in elections, conducting primaries, organising rallies, or engaging in other political activities until they comply with constitutional requirements.

Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu upheld the plaintiffs’ arguments and directed INEC to deregister the five political parties.