Court orders INEC to deregister ADC and four other parties 

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deregister the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and four other political parties for failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.

The affected parties are the Action Peoples Party, APP, Action Alliance, AA, Accord Party, AP, and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP. The court ruling followed a suit challenging their eligibility to remain registered under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The plaintiffs argued that the parties failed to achieve the electoral performance thresholds required by law, including securing at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at the national, state, or local government levels. They said the parties did not meet those conditions in the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu upheld the plaintiffs’ arguments and directed INEC to deregister the five parties ahead of preparations for the 2027 general election.

Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has, in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, named Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, its presidential candidate, for the 2027 elections.

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