Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC, Four Other Parties, Bars Them from 2027 Polls

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), over their failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued existence as political parties in Nigeria.

In a landmark judgment, Justice Peter Lifu held that the affected parties failed to satisfy the electoral performance threshold stipulated by law and consequently directed INEC to remove them from its register of political parties.

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).

Justice Lifu also ordered INEC not to permit the parties to participate in any future elections, including the 2027 general elections, having failed to secure the constitutionally required electoral support.

The court dismissed all preliminary objections raised by the defendants before proceeding to grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiff.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which challenged the continued registration of the five parties.

The plaintiff, which joined the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and INEC as parties in the case, argued that the affected political parties had failed to meet constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance.

According to the forum, political parties are expected to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in prescribed elections to justify their continued registration and relevance under the law.

The group maintained that none of the five parties had demonstrated compliance with the constitutional threshold and urged the court to compel INEC to deregister them.

Delivering judgment, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiff’s submissions and ruled that the parties had failed to meet the conditions required for their continued recognition as political parties.

The judgment is expected to have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly as opposition parties intensify efforts to build alliances and strengthen their electoral structures nationwide.