ABUJA — A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately deregister five political parties for failing to meet Nigeria’s minimum constitutional requirements.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Under Section 225(a) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, political parties must hit specific electoral thresholds to maintain their registration.
The Failure to Meet Electoral Thresholds Delivering the landmark judgment on Monday, June 15, 2026, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that all five parties failed to win a single elective position or secure at least 25 percent of the votes in the most recent federal, state, or local government elections.
Consequent to this failure, Justice Lifu ordered INEC to:
- Immediately strike the five parties from the official register.
- Activate all legal mechanisms required to enforce the deregistration.
- Refuse any future official correspondence from the affected groups.
- Apply the same standard to deregister any other party failing the constitutional threshold.
The lawsuit was initiated by the National Forum of Former Legislators. The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, joined as a defendant but ultimately supported the deregistration. The plaintiffs were legally represented by Yakubu Ruba (SAN).
High-Stakes Political Implications The ruling sends shockwaves through the political landscape just ahead of the 2027 general elections and imminent off-cycle governorship polls.
If enforced immediately, the judgment disqualifies high-profile candidates and upends existing political structures, most notably affecting:
- Atiku Abubakar: The former Vice President who recently declared his 2027 presidential ambition under the ADC banner.
- Ademola Adeleke: The incumbent Osun State Governor, who is actively seeking re-election under the Accord Party platform this coming August.
The decision also looms large over the June 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Court Rejects Appeal Court Stay Order The defense attempted to halt proceedings by citing a May 22, 2026, Court of Appeal order directing the trial court to stay proceedings pending an interlocutory appeal by the Accord Party.
However, Justice Lifu dismissed the argument, stating that no certified true copy of the stay order was ever officially served to his court before final addresses were adopted.
“The position of the law is that the rules of court do not provide for the arrest of judgment,” Justice Lifu noted, adding that because all defendants fully participated in the trial, fair hearing was strictly observed.
Cracking Down on “Political Pollution” Justice Lifu emphasized that the wording of Section 225(a) is direct and must be interpreted literally to prevent the unconstructive proliferation of political parties.
“Any tendency to pollute the political environment by exploiting uninformed members of the electorate must be frowned upon by the court,” the judge remarked.
The Next Steps The affected parties are widely expected to file immediate appeals. While INEC has yet to release an official timeline for enforcing the order, legal experts predict a protracted legal battle that will likely escalate to the Supreme Court before a final resolution is reached.
