The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered that the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties be deregistered for failing to meet the country’s constitutional criteria.
Justice Peter Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the concerned parties after they failed to collect 25% of the votes in the recent general election in accordance with the law.
According to Daily Trust and the News Agency of Nigeria, the five political parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Justice Lifu, who previously dismissed all of the defendants’ preliminary arguments, directed INEC not to allow the parties to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, because they failed to fulfill the constitutional requirement.
According to NAN, the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators filed the lawsuit against the five political parties under the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026.
The plaintiff, who also represented the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) in the lawsuit, listed INEC as the first defendant.
The forum claimed that the concerned political parties failed to meet constitutional requirements for electoral spread and performance.
It argued that in order to be legally relevant, political parties must receive at least 25% of the vote in prescribed elections.
It consequently sought the court to order the deregistration of the parties, claiming that none of the defendants had adequately disputed its arguments.
