Politics
2027: Court dashes Atiku’s hope
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties, a development that could significantly reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election.
The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu held that the parties failed to meet the constitutional requirements necessary to retain their registration and directed INEC to take steps to deregister them.
The suit was instituted by a group of former lawmakers, who asked the court to determine whether INEC was constitutionally obligated to deregister political parties that failed to satisfy the performance benchmarks outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
According to the plaintiffs, the affected parties consistently failed to meet the conditions required for continued registration. These include securing at least 25 per cent of votes cast in a state during a presidential election or winning elective positions at the national, state, or local government levels.
The group argued that the five parties did not attain the prescribed electoral threshold during the 2023 general election and subsequent by-elections conducted by INEC.
They contended that allowing the parties to remain on the register despite their poor electoral performance amounted to a violation of constitutional provisions and undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
The plaintiffs also urged the court to compel INEC to deregister the parties before preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
In addition, they sought an order restraining the affected parties from participating in elections, conducting party primaries, organising rallies, or engaging in other political activities pending compliance with constitutional requirements.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu upheld the arguments of the plaintiffs and ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties.
The judgment could have major political implications, particularly for the ADC which parades former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as it’s presidential candidate.
However, it remains unclear whether the affected parties will challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.