The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties over their failure to meet constitutional electoral performance requirements.

The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Justice Peter Lifu gave the directive while delivering judgment in a suit instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which challenged the continued recognition of the parties despite what it described as their poor electoral performance.

According to the court, the affected political parties failed to secure the minimum number of votes required under the law and did not win elective positions during the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections.

The judge held that their inability to satisfy the constitutional and electoral benchmarks made them liable for deregistration by INEC.

The ruling is expected to have significant implications for Nigeria’s political landscape, particularly ahead of future electoral contests, as it could further reduce the number of registered political parties in the country.

INEC is yet to officially react to the judgment as of the time of filing this report.

— OHAFIATV News