Federal High Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC, ZLP , 3 Other Political Parties
The 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 allegedly failing to meet constitutional electoral performance requirements.
The affected parties are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order while delivering judgment in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to satisfy the electoral performance thresholds stipulated under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and relevant INEC regulations.
According to the former lawmakers, the five political parties consistently failed to meet the constitutional benchmarks for continued registration. They argued that the parties neither secured at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election nor won any elective seats at the national, state, or local government levels.
The plaintiffs further maintained that the affected parties performed poorly in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC, failing to secure representation across key tiers of government.
They contended that the continued recognition of the parties by INEC undermines the integrity and efficiency of Nigeria’s electoral system and urged the court to compel the electoral body to act in line with constitutional provisions.
In its judgment, the Federal High Court agreed with the plaintiff’s position and directed INEC to deregister the ADC, APP, AA, AP, and ZLP ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
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