Court Orders Removal of ADC and Other Political Parties

The Federal High Court in Abuja has instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties for not meeting the rules needed to stay registered.

Judge Peter Lifu issued the order in a ruling on Monday.

He pointed out that the parties did not follow Section 225 of the Nigerian Constitution.

This section allows INEC to deregister political parties that have not won any elections at the federal, state, or local levels in the last election cycle.

The ruling could lead to many candidates being disqualified from running in the 2027 general elections and the upcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, scheduled for June and August.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that this case was brought by the National Forum of Former Legislators against INEC, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the political parties involved.

The other parties affected by the court's decision are Accord, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The plaintiffs argued that these parties no longer meet the legal requirements to exist as registered parties.

They based their claims on Section 225(a) of the Constitution and the Electoral Act, stating that the parties did not win any seats or meet the minimum standards in elections.

They asked the court to confirm that INEC must deregister parties that fail to meet the legal criteria.

The plaintiffs also wanted the court to order INEC to remove these parties from its register and stop them from taking part in future elections.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, who is a defendant in this case, supported the plaintiffs and their requests.

This ruling will have significant effects on the upcoming general elections, which are about seven to eight months away, as well as the off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

If the ruling is enforced quickly, it will mean automatic disqualification for candidates from the affected parties, changing the political scene as these candidates are key players in the elections.

Among the notable candidates affected are Atiku Abubakar, who is now the presidential candidate of the ADC, and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is running for a second term with Accord in the August governorship election.

More details later.