In a landmark judgment by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered to deregister five political parties, among which is the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for not meeting the required electoral thresholds.
According to the ruling, the electoral umpire has been ordered to revoke the recognition accorded to these political parties because they have continued to perform poorly in subsequent elections.
The five affected political parties in addition to the ADC include: Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The decision by the court was contained in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026 filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The plaintiff had petitioned the court on whether or not INEC was constitutionally required to deregister political parties that do not meet the required performance criteria set out under Section 225A of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
In their statements, the former legislators indicated that the five political parties continuously failed to meet the requirements for remaining registered.
According to the law of Nigeria, a political party should have the mandate to receive at least 25% of the total votes during the presidential elections in one state or acquire at least one seat in either of the three levels of government.
The plaintiffs contended that the ADC, APP, AA, Accord, and ZLP underperformed in the 2023 general elections and by-elections held by INEC. As a result, they did not get any seats at either of the three levels of government.
Accordingly, they contended that it was illegal and against the interests of the country to allow such poor-performing political parties to remain registered.
Agreeing with the plaintiffs’ argument, the court gave relief directing INEC to deregister the five political parties before preparing for the 2027 general elections.
Apart from directing INEC to deregister the five political parties, the court directed that the five political parties would be prohibited from nominating their candidates during the general elections. The five political parties would also be prohibited from engaging in political activities.
Moreover, Judge Lifu prevented the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or dealing with the affected individuals in an official manner.
Indeed, this latest court ruling seems set to throw a spanner in the works of the political arena ahead of the next round of elections.
Undeniably, this court decision might adversely affect the political future of some top politicians like ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar who stands to have his way to the 2027 presidential seat obstructed.
