A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties for failing to meet constitutional requirements on electoral performance.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Monday, ruling that the affected parties failed to secure the minimum electoral threshold required to retain their registration.
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 suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the five political parties, with INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) also joined as defendants.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu upheld the arguments of the plaintiff, stating that the affected parties failed to secure the constitutionally required 25 per cent of votes in the relevant elections.
The judge dismissed all preliminary objections raised by the political parties and directed INEC to proceed with their deregistration.
He further ordered the electoral commission not to allow the affected parties to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, on the grounds that they had failed to satisfy the constitutional conditions for continued registration.
According to the court, the parties’ inability to achieve the prescribed electoral threshold amounted to a breach of the provisions governing political party participation in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The National Forum of Former Legislators argued that the parties no longer met constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance.
The group maintained that political parties must achieve a minimum level of electoral support to remain legally recognised and contended that the affected parties failed to meet that benchmark.
It urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties, arguing that none of the defendants presented sufficient legal grounds to defeat its claims.
The ruling comes at a politically sensitive period as parties begin preparations and internal restructuring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The decision is particularly significant for the ADC, whose presidential candidate in the last election was former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
It also follows recent legal battles involving the ADC’s leadership. Just days earlier, the Supreme Court directed that a separate dispute concerning the party be returned to the Federal High Court for determination.
In another related case, the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal filed by former Senate President David Mark over the ADC leadership crisis, ruling that the appeal was incompetent after upholding a jurisdictional objection.
The judgment is expected to trigger fresh legal and political debates over party registration requirements, electoral competitiveness, and the future of smaller political parties in Nigeria’s democratic landscape.
