By Philomina Brando
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties over alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The affected parties are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The suit was instituted to determine whether INEC is constitutionally bound under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to deregister political parties that fail to meet the stipulated performance thresholds.
The plaintiff argued that the five political parties had consistently failed to meet the requirements for retaining registration, including securing at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at national, state or local government levels.
It further contended that the parties also failed to meet the required electoral benchmarks in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.
According to the plaintiff, the continued existence of the parties despite their poor electoral performance was inconsistent with constitutional provisions and detrimental to the integrity of the electoral process.
The plaintiffs, former lawmakers, urged the court to compel INEC to act ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections, insisting that the commission must enforce the law without delay.
They also sought an order restraining the affected parties from conducting primaries, holding rallies or participating in electoral activities pending compliance with the Constitution.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu upheld the arguments of the plaintiff and ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties.
The court held that allowing parties that failed to meet constitutional thresholds to remain registered was inconsistent with the provisions of Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).