Federal High Court Orders INEC to Deregister Five Political Parties

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties for failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements.

The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
In a judgment delivered on Monday, the presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, directed INEC to remove the five parties from the official register of political parties in Nigeria.
The ruling followed a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, which challenged the continued recognition of the affected parties by the electoral commission.
The plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether INEC was under a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to satisfy the performance benchmarks stipulated under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and other relevant electoral regulations.
According to the forum, the affected parties consistently failed to attain the minimum electoral thresholds required to retain their registration.
These benchmarks include securing at least 25 per cent of votes cast in a state during a presidential election or winning elective offices at the national, state, or local government levels.
The former lawmakers argued that the parties performed poorly in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, failing to secure representation across key tiers of government.
They further contended that allowing the parties to remain registered despite their poor electoral performance amounted to a violation of constitutional provisions and undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process.
Delivering judgment, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiffs and held that INEC has a legal responsibility to enforce constitutional provisions governing the registration and continued existence of political parties.
Consequently, the court ordered the electoral commission to deregister the five parties and barred them from participating in elections or engaging in political activities, including campaigns, rallies, congresses, conventions, and primary elections.
The court also granted an injunction restraining INEC from recognising or dealing with the affected parties in any official capacity pending full compliance with the judgment.
Legal observers say the ruling could significantly reshape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections, as it reinforces constitutional requirements for political party registration and continued participation in the electoral process.
As of the time of filing this report, neither INEC nor any of the affected political parties had officially reacted to the judgment.