BREAKING: Court orders INEC to deregister ADC, four other political parties

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove five political parties from its register for failing to satisfy constitutional requirements for continued recognition.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the affected parties did not achieve the electoral benchmark required by law, specifically the minimum 25 percent vote threshold in the last general elections.

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

The judge also instructed INEC to bar the parties from participating in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, on the grounds that they failed to meet the constitutional standard necessary for political parties to remain registered.

Before issuing the ruling, Justice Lifu dismissed several preliminary objections raised by the defendants.

The case, 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 (AGF) and INEC were listed among the defendants in the suit.

According to the plaintiff, the political parties in question failed to comply with constitutional provisions relating to electoral performance and national spread.

The forum maintained that registered political parties are expected to secure at least 25 percent of votes in relevant elections to retain their legal status and argued that none of the affected parties successfully challenged the claims brought before the court.

The court subsequently granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiff and ordered their deregistration.

 (NAN)