Federal High Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC, Four Other Political Parties
A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove five political parties from the register of recognised parties, citing their inability to satisfy constitutional requirements governing political participation.
Delivering judgment in the case, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the affected parties failed to attain the minimum electoral performance stipulated by law and should therefore be barred from participating in future elections, including the 2027 general elections.
The parties affected by the ruling are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Before delivering the judgment, the court dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defendants and proceeded to grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs.
The suit was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, which listed INEC as the first defendant and also joined the Attorney-General of the Federation in the case.
According to the plaintiffs, the parties failed to meet constitutional provisions relating to electoral performance and geographical spread. They argued that political parties are expected to secure at least 25 per cent of votes in relevant elections to maintain their legal status.
The group maintained that the affected parties did not satisfy the required threshold and urged the court to compel INEC to withdraw their registration.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu upheld the arguments presented by the plaintiffs and ordered the electoral commission to deregister the parties and prevent them from participating in subsequent elections.
The judgment, however, leaves the affected parties with the option of challenging the ruling at the appellate court.
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