A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the deregistration of five political parties for failing to meet the constitutional requirements for political parties in Nigeria.
In a judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the affected parties after finding that they failed to secure the constitutional threshold required in the last general elections.
The affected political parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The court also ordered INEC not to allow the affected parties to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general elections.
Before delivering the judgment, Justice Lifu dismissed the preliminary objections filed by the defendants.
The suit was instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against INEC, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the five political parties.
The plaintiff argued that the parties failed to satisfy constitutional requirements relating to electoral performance and spread, contending that political parties must meet the prescribed constitutional threshold to retain their registration.
According to the judgment, the court agreed with the plaintiff’s arguments and directed INEC to take the necessary steps to deregister the affected political parties in line with the law.
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