By Peace Udugba
An Abuja Federal High Court on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately commence the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and several other political parties over alleged non-compliance with constitutional and electoral requirements.
The court’s decision followed a suit filed by former lawmakers, who argued that INEC has a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that fail to meet the electoral performance thresholds stipulated in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC regulations.
The plaintiffs contended that the five political parties listed as defendants in the suit had consistently failed to satisfy the constitutional benchmarks required to retain their registration.
They maintained that INEC was duty-bound to enforce the law by removing parties that no longer meet the prescribed criteria.
According to the former legislators, the constitutional requirements include securing at least 25 per cent of votes cast in at least one state during a presidential election or winning at least one elective position at the national, state, or local government level.
They argued that parties that fail to meet these benchmarks are liable to deregistration and urged the court to compel INEC to uphold the provisions of the Constitution and relevant electoral laws.
