The other political parties affected by the court order are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The ruling was delivered by Justice Peter Lifu following a suit instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which challenged the continued registration of the parties despite what it described as their consistent failure to satisfy constitutional benchmarks for political party recognition.
In the suit, the forum asked the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to meet the electoral performance thresholds stipulated under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and relevant INEC regulations.
The plaintiffs argued that the affected parties had repeatedly failed to attain the minimum electoral requirements necessary to retain their status as registered political parties. According to them, the Constitution requires political parties to either secure at least 25 percent of votes in a state during a presidential election or win at least one elective seat at the federal, state, or local government level.
The National Forum of Former Legislators maintained that the ADC and the four other parties performed poorly in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC, failing to secure representation across critical tiers of government.
After considering the arguments presented, Justice Lifu ruled in favour of the plaintiffs and directed INEC to take the necessary steps to deregister the affected parties in line with constitutional provisions.
The judgment is expected to have significant implications for Nigeria’s political landscape, particularly as political parties continue preparations ahead of future electoral contests. The ruling also reignites debates over the need to streamline Nigeria’s multi-party system and ensure that only parties with demonstrable electoral relevance remain on the ballot.
