A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove five political parties from its register over their failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued recognition.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The decision was delivered by Justice Peter Lifu following a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The group asked the court to determine whether INEC is legally required to deregister political parties that fail to satisfy the electoral performance conditions contained in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and related electoral guidelines.
In the case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, the former lawmakers argued that the five parties had repeatedly failed to achieve the minimum electoral results needed to retain their registration status.
According to the plaintiffs, political parties are expected to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or win at least one elective position at the federal, state, or local government level.
They maintained that the parties did not attain the required results during the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted across the country.
The group told the court that the parties were unable to secure seats in key levels of government, placing them below the constitutional benchmark.
The plaintiffs further argued that allowing such parties to remain registered despite failing to meet the legal requirements weakens the nation’s electoral framework and goes against the provisions of the law.
They therefore sought a declaration that INEC has a responsibility to remove parties that no longer satisfy the conditions for registration.
They also requested an order compelling the electoral commission to carry out the deregistration process before preparations for the 2027 general elections progress further.
Apart from seeking the deregistration of the parties, the former legislators asked the court to stop them from taking part in future elections or engaging in political activities such as campaigns, rallies, congresses, and party primaries.
They also sought an order preventing INEC from recognising or conducting official dealings with the affected parties unless they fully comply with constitutional requirements.
Justice Lifu agreed with the arguments presented by the plaintiffs and ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties.
The judgment is expected to have political implications ahead of the 2027 elections, especially for politicians who may be planning to contest under the platforms of any of the affected parties.
Among those whose future political calculations could be affected by the ruling is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is the ADC presidential candidate.
