Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC, Others Ahead of 2027

The 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), for failing to meet constitutional requirements for political party recognition in Nigeria.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court held that the parties did not satisfy the electoral performance threshold prescribed by law and therefore could no longer remain on INEC’s register of political parties.

The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Justice Lifu further directed INEC to bar the parties from participating in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, on the grounds that they failed to secure the minimum electoral support required under the Constitution.

The ruling followed a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026.

The plaintiff had sued the five political parties, INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation, arguing that the parties failed to meet constitutional provisions relating to electoral spread and performance.

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

It urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties, insisting that they had failed to meet the required threshold and had not effectively challenged the claims brought against them.

Before delivering judgment, Justice Lifu dismissed the preliminary objections filed by the affected parties and proceeded to determine the substantive issues raised in the suit.

In his verdict, the judge agreed with the plaintiff’s arguments and ordered INEC to immediately commence the process of deregistering the parties.

The decision could reshape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly given the growing prominence of some of the affected parties in recent coalition and opposition realignment discussions.