The possibility of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to feature in the 2027 elections got a knock Monday with the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the party and four other political parties.
The other political parties affected by the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The judgment stands in the way of Atiku Abubakar the presidential candidate of the ADC who has just picked Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
Political Economist NG recalls that the National Forum of Former Legislators had, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, prayed the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to remove political parties that fail to meet the electoral performance thresholds contained in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as reinforced by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s regulations.
The Forum (plaintiff) believes that the five political parties listed as defendants in the matter had persistently failed to meet the constitutional benchmarks required to retain their registration.
The Forum argued that the requirements include winning at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or securing at least one elective seat at the national, state, or local government level.
They told the court that the ADC and the four other parties failed to achieve the threshold in both the 2023 general elections and in the by-elections conducted by INEC.
They also argued that the continued existence of the ADC and the other defendants as recognised political parties is unlawful and in a clear affront on the electoral laws.
Among other reliefs, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that INEC is duty-bound to deregister such parties.
It further urged the court to compel the commission to deregister the five political parties before preparations for the 2027 elections advance further.
The plaintiff further sought a court injunction restraining INEC from recognising or dealing with the parties in any official capacity unless and until they strictly comply with constitutional provisions.
