Court orders INEC to deregister ADC, four other political parties

Precious Omolu 16:17 - 15 June 2026

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered INEC to deregister five political parties, including the ADC and Accord Party, following their poor performance in recent elections.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered INEC to deregister the ADC and four other political parties after ruling that they failed to meet constitutional electoral performance requirements.

A Federal High Court ordered INEC to deregister ADC, APP, AA, Accord Party, and ZLP over poor electoral performance.
The court ruled that the parties failed to meet constitutional requirements, including winning elections or securing enough votes in presidential polls.
The decision followed a lawsuit by former lawmakers who argued that allowing the parties to remain registered undermines Nigeria's electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.

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 their poor electoral performance.

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

Plaintiffs argued that allowing parties with virtually no electoral support to remain active only crowds the political space and complicates Nigeria's voting system.

The ruling followed a suit filed by a group of former lawmakers who asked the court to determine whether INEC is constitutionally obligated to remove political parties that fail to meet the requirements outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

According to the plaintiffs, the five parties failed to satisfy the constitutional conditions required to retain their registration. These include securing at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election, winning a seat in the National Assembly, a state House of Assembly, a local government chairmanship position, or a councillorship seat.

The group argued that the parties failed to meet these benchmarks during the 2023 general election and in subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.

They further contended that allowing political parties with little or no electoral support to remain on the register undermines the integrity of Nigeria's electoral system and goes against constitutional provisions.

The plaintiffs urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties before preparations for the 2027 general election gather pace.

They also sought an order restraining the affected parties from taking part in elections, conducting party primaries, organising political rallies, or carrying out other political activities pending compliance with constitutional requirements.

Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu agreed with the arguments presented by the plaintiffs and ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties.

Justice Peter Lifu ruled in favor of plaintiffs who argued that keeping underperforming parties on the ballot violates Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.

The ruling could have significant implications for Nigeria's political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections, especially for smaller parties seeking to remain relevant in the country's multiparty democracy.

INEC is yet to publicly react to the court's decision at the time of filing this report.