The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for failing to meet constitutional requirements. Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the parties violated Section 225 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which grants INEC the authority to deregister parties that do not comply with set conditions. The affected parties are the ADC, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party, and Zenith Labour Party. The judgment was delivered on Monday, the same day Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), condemned the ruling in a post on X. Sowore described the deregistration as undemocratic, stressing that the affected parties had already conducted their primaries and were preparing for upcoming elections. "I totally condemn the deregistration of political parties that have already concluded their primaries and are preparing for general elections. Such an action is undemocratic and unjustifiable in a multi-party democracy, it shall not stand," he wrote. The court's decision has sparked immediate backlash from opposition figures concerned about the shrinking political space. INEC is expected to comply with the court order, though no timeline has been provided for implementation.
A court order to remove five parties from the ballot after they have held primaries contradicts the spirit of electoral fairness. Sowore's criticism gains weight given that parties were deregistered mid-cycle, not before nomination deadlines. This disrupts voter choice and raises concerns about the stability of party structures ahead of elections. The timing suggests a legal process may be overriding political practicality.
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