Court orders deregistration of ADC, Accord

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Accord Party, for failing to meet constitutional requirements for political parties in Nigeria.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the affected parties after finding that they failed to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in the last general elections as required by law.

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

The court also barred the parties from participating in future elections, including the 2027 general elections, on the grounds that they failed to satisfy the constitutional threshold for continued recognition as political parties.

Justice Lifu dismissed all preliminary objections raised by the defendants before issuing the order.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the five political parties. The Attorney-General of the Federation and INEC were also joined in the case, with INEC listed as the first defendant.

The plaintiff argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional requirements relating to electoral spread and performance, contending that political parties are expected to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in prescribed elections to retain their legal status.

The forum further maintained that none of the parties effectively challenged its claims and urged the court to order their deregistration.

The court subsequently granted the request and directed INEC to implement the deregistration of the five political parties.