A federal high court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deregister the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and four other political parties.
The other political parties are the Action Peoples Party, APP, Action Alliance, AA, Accord Party, AP, and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP,.
Justice Lifu’s order followed a suit brought before him by the National Forum of Former Legislators who had asked the court to determine whether INEC is constitutionally required to deregister political parties that fail to satisfy the performance thresholds stipulated in section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The plaintiff asked the court to determine if the five parties have met the conditions to remain registered.
The conditions include securing at least 25 percent of votes in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at the national, state, or local government levels.
The former lawmakers, in their suit, maintained that the five parties did not meet the conditions and should be deregistered.
They prayed the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties before preparations for the 2027 general election gather momentum.
The plaintiffs also sought orders restraining the affected parties from participating in elections, conducting primaries, organising rallies, or carrying out other political activities pending compliance with constitutional requirements.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiff and ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties.
ExoWatts
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