The 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 their failure to meet constitutional electoral performance requirements.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in a suit instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The plaintiffs had asked the court to determine whether INEC is constitutionally required to deregister political parties that fail to satisfy the electoral performance benchmarks stipulated under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and relevant INEC regulations.
According to the forum, the five parties consistently failed to meet the constitutional thresholds for continued registration, including securing at least 25 percent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning at least one elective position at the federal, state, or local government level.
The group argued that the parties recorded poor performances in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, failing to secure representation across key levels of government. Consequently, the court ordered INEC to proceed with their deregistration.
