Abuja, Nigeria — A 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 what the court described as their failure to meet constitutional requirements governing political parties in Nigeria.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu directed INEC to remove the affected parties from its register and barred them from participating in future elections, including the 2027 general elections.
The parties affected by the ruling are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators. The Attorney-General of the Federation was joined in the case, while INEC was listed as the first defendant.
According to the plaintiffs, the parties failed to satisfy constitutional provisions relating to electoral performance and spread. They argued that political parties are required to attain prescribed thresholds to retain their registration and that INEC had failed in its duty by allowing the affected parties to remain on its register.
Justice Lifu dismissed the preliminary objections raised by the defendants before ruling that the parties had failed to meet the constitutional benchmark. Consequently, the court directed INEC not to recognise the parties for subsequent elections.
The judgment represents a significant development in Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 polls and could trigger a fresh round of legal battles. Political observers expect the affected parties to challenge the ruling at the appellate courts, while questions remain over how quickly INEC will implement the order.
The case had attracted considerable public attention after proceedings were delayed earlier this month due to procedural issues and applications for a stay of proceedings filed by some of the defendants.
Should the judgment stand after any appeals, it would mark one of the most consequential party deregistration decisions since the introduction of Section 225A of the Constitution, which empowers INEC to deregister political parties that fail to meet stipulated electoral requirements.
Neither INEC nor the affected parties had issued immediate official reactions at the time of filing this report.
Join our Channel...