…Raises Tension in Osun State Ahead of Governorship Election
The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties over their failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued recognition.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The ruling was delivered on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which challenged the continued registration of the parties despite what it described as their poor electoral performance.
In the suit, the plaintiffs asked the court to determine whether INEC was under a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that failed to satisfy the performance benchmarks outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s regulations.
The former lawmakers argued that the five political parties had consistently fallen short of the minimum electoral thresholds required to retain their status as registered political parties in Nigeria.
According to the plaintiffs, the Constitution requires political parties to secure at least 25 per cent of votes cast in a state during a presidential election or win at least one elective position at the federal, state, or local government level.
They maintained that the ADC, Accord Party, APP, AA, and ZLP failed to meet these requirements in both the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections conducted across the country.
After considering the arguments presented by all parties, Justice Lifu held that INEC has a constitutional responsibility to enforce the provisions governing the registration and continued existence of political parties. The court subsequently ordered the electoral commission to deregister the affected parties.
The judgment is expected to trigger legal and political reactions, particularly from the parties affected by the decision, many of which remain active participants in Nigeria’s political landscape despite their limited electoral success in recent years.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not issued an official response to the judgment. Similarly, the leadership of the affected political parties had yet to publicly react to the court’s decision.
Political analysts believe the ruling could have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s political environment ahead of the 2027 general elections, especially if the affected parties choose to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
