The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), after ruling that they failed to satisfy constitutional requirements governing the continued existence of political parties in Nigeria.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the affected parties from its register, finding that they had failed to secure the minimum electoral support required under the law.
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 court further ordered INEC not to permit the parties to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general election, on the grounds that they had fallen short of the constitutional threshold for political relevance and electoral performance.
Justice Lifu dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defendants before proceeding to grant the reliefs sought by the claimant, the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The group, which filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, named INEC as the first defendant and also joined the Attorney-General of the Federation in the proceedings.
In its case, the forum argued that the affected parties had failed to meet constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance. It contended that political parties must secure at least 25 per cent of votes in prescribed elections to justify their continued registration under Nigeria’s constitutional framework.
The claimant maintained that none of the parties had presented a convincing legal defence to rebut its arguments and urged the court to compel INEC to deregister them.
The judgment represents a potentially significant intervention in Nigeria’s political landscape, with implications for party participation and opposition politics ahead of the next electoral cycle.
