A Federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the Accord Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC) and three other political parties.
The other political parties are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The suit was filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators with case number FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026. They wanted the court to decide if INEC has a duty to remove parties that do not meet constitutional performance requirements.
The plaintiffs argued that the five parties failed to meet the conditions in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution. That section says a party must get at least 25 percent of votes in a state during presidential elections or win at least one seat at national, state, or local government level.
They told the court that ADC and the other four parties performed poorly in the 2023 general elections and in subsequent by-elections. None of them won seats across the key levels of government.
The former legislators said keeping these parties registered is unlawful and damages the electoral system. They asked the court to declare that INEC must deregister them and to stop the parties from campaigning, holding rallies, or conducting primaries.
The court directed INEC to carry out the deregistration before preparations for the 2027 elections go further. INEC was also restrained from recognizing or dealing with the parties unless they comply with constitutional provisions.
The judgment may affect the plans of candidates from the affected parties. This includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, since ADC was chosen as his platform and Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
About the Author
