The 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 over alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The judge, Peter Lifu, made the order in a judgement on Monday.
He noted that the affected parties breached Section 225 of the Nigerian constitution.
The section gives INEC the power to deregister political parties that have failed to win any elective position in the previous round of elections at the federal, state and local government levels.
The judgement will lead to a deluge of disqualifications of candidates running for elective offices in the 2027 general elections and the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections slated for June nas August in Ekiti and Osun states.
EDGE Reported that the suit was filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators against INEC, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the affected opposition parties.
Other parties listed in the suit and affected by the court’s deregistration order are Accord, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The plaintiffs argued that the parties no longer met the constitutional threshold for continued existence as registered political parties.
They relied on Section 225(a) of the Constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act, insisting the parties failed to win elective seats or meet minimum requirements in elections.
They asked the court to hold that INEC has a constitutional duty to deregister political parties that fail to meet the legal conditions.
The plaintiffs also sought an order compelling INEC to remove the parties from its register and restrain them from participating in future elections.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, joined as a defendant in the suit, threw his office behind the suit and the prayers sought.
The judgement will have far-reaching implications for the upcoming general elections, which are about seven to eight months away, and the off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti mad Osun states.
If the judgement is immediately enforced, it means an automatic disqualification for the candidates of the affected political parties and will dramatically reshape the political landscape ahead of the elections in which the candidates of the parties are major contenders.
Among notable candidates in the firing line of the verdict are Atiku Abubakar, who recently emerged as the presidential candidate of the ADC, and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking second term in office on the platform of Accord in the governorship election slated for August.
