BREAKING: Court Orders INEC To Deregister Five Parties

ABUJA – In a ruling that has sent seismic tremors through Nigeria’s political landscape, the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties for failing to meet the country’s constitutional electoral performance benchmarks.

Justice Peter Lifu delivered the landmark judgment today in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026.

The parties on the chopping block are the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

According to the former lawmakers who brought the suit, these five parties have consistently failed to satisfy the criteria set out in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), alongside provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

To stay registered in Nigeria, a party must secure at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or win at least one elective position at national, state, or local government level.

The plaintiffs argued that the five parties managed neither in the 2023 general elections nor in subsequent by-elections.

The court agreed, declaring that INEC has a legal duty to sweep away parties that do not meet the standards.

Justice Lifu further restrained the affected parties from participating in any elections, campaigns, rallies, or primaries, and ordered INEC to cease recognising or dealing with them in any official capacity unless they fully comply with constitutional requirements.

The judgment lands like a political grenade ahead of the 2027 elections, with immediate implications for high-profile figures. Notably, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has previously contested under the ADC banner, may find his political vehicle written off entirely.

Legal observers suggest the ruling could trigger a mass exodus from struggling parties, as INEC is now under a binding court order to clean up the register before preparations for the next general election progress much further.

As one political insider put it this afternoon: “If you haven’t won a single council seat in years, you’re not a political party. You’re a WhatsApp group with a logo. And the court has just shut the group chat.”

Neither INEC nor the affected parties had issued an official statement at the time of going to press. But with the 2027 clock already ticking, tonight’s ruling has ensured that Nigeria’s political battlefield just got considerably smaller—and considerably more ruthless.