A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties over poor electoral performance.
The affected parties include the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The ruling was delivered by Justice Peter Lifu following a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the parties failed to meet constitutional requirements needed to maintain their registration.
According to the plaintiffs, the affected parties did not achieve the minimum electoral benchmarks outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022. These conditions include securing at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at the national, state, or local government level.
The former lawmakers maintained that the parties performed poorly during the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, failing to win seats across major levels of government.
The court agreed that INEC has a constitutional responsibility to remove parties that fail to satisfy these requirements and ordered the commission to act before preparations for the 2027 elections advance further.
The judgment could have political implications for members and aspirants of the affected parties ahead of the next general election, including prominent figures planning future political contests.
