A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), over their failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued recognition as political parties in Nigeria.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the affected parties, ruling that they failed to secure the minimum electoral performance required by law.
The parties affected by the judgment are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (A), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Justice Lifu, who dismissed the preliminary objections raised by the defendants, further ordered INEC not to allow the parties to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, on the grounds that they failed to meet the constitutional threshold for political party registration.
The suit was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which challenged the continued existence of the parties.
In the action, the group joined INEC as the first defendant and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as a party to the suit.
The plaintiff argued that the affected political parties had failed to satisfy constitutional requirements relating to electoral performance and national spread. According to the group, political parties are expected to attain stipulated levels of electoral support to justify their continued registration under Nigeria’s electoral framework.
The forum maintained that none of the five parties met the required benchmark in recent elections and urged the court to compel INEC to enforce the relevant constitutional and electoral provisions.
Agreeing with the plaintiff’s submissions, Justice Lifu held that the parties had not demonstrated the level of electoral performance required by law and consequently ordered their deregistration.
The judgment is expected to have far-reaching implications for the country’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly for the ADC, which has recently emerged as a platform attracting prominent opposition figures.
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2026-06-15