Federal High Court orders deregistration of five political parties, including ADC and Accord

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress ADC, Accord A, Action Alliance AA, Action Peoples Party APP, and Zenith Labour Party ZLP. Justice Peter Lifu issued the judgment, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to deregister these parties for failing to meet constitutional requirements. The court found that the parties did not secure 25 percent of the votes in the last general elections, as mandated by law. Justice Lifu dismissed preliminary objections from the defendants and instructed INEC to bar these parties from participating in future elections, including the 2027 general elections. The suit, filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional requirements regarding electoral spread and performance, asserting that none of the defendants effectively countered their arguments.