Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC, Four Others as Parties Vow to Appeal.

 The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties, triggering immediate condemnation from opposition leaders who described the ruling as undemocratic and a violation of a subsisting Court of Appeal order.

Justice Peter Lifu, delivering judgment in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, directed INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, and Zenith Labour Party for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration. The court held that the parties breached provisions of Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution as amended and the Electoral Act 2022.

The judgment threatens to remove former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the 2027 presidential ballot, as he emerged as the ADC’s candidate earlier this year. It also affects candidates preparing for the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 8, 2026.

Constitutional Thresholds Cited.

Justice Lifu ruled that the affected parties failed to secure 25 percent of the votes in any state during the last presidential election or win at least one elective office at federal, state, or local government levels. The section empowers INEC to deregister political parties that do not meet performance benchmarks during elections.

The court dismissed all preliminary objections filed by the defendants and ordered INEC not to allow the parties to participate in future elections. The suit asked the court to determine whether INEC was constitutionally bound to deregister parties that failed to meet electoral benchmarks.

ADC Rejects Ruling, Warns of Anarchy.

The African Democratic Congress immediately rejected the judgment, warning that it represents a dangerous attempt to weaponize the judiciary against Nigeria’s democratic system. In a statement titled “You Are Playing With Fire, ADC Warns Government Agents Seeking Party De-registration,” the party described the ruling as alarming and unconstitutional.

“The African Democratic Congress wishes to warn, in the strongest possible terms, against any attempt to use the judiciary as an instrument to undermine democracy and plunge Nigeria into a major political crisis,” the statement said.

ADC noted that INEC had already made its position clear before the court, maintaining that the party met all registration requirements and had not breached any constitutional threshold for deregistration. “INEC categorically maintained that the ADC had not violated any registration requirements, had not failed any constitutional electoral-performance threshold, and that no legally recognised basis existed for its de-registration.”

Adeleke, Sowore Cite Appeal Court Stay Order.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore also condemned the ruling. Adeleke, through his spokesperson Mallam Olawale Rasheed, described it as an abuse of court process and a violation of a subsisting order of the Court of Appeal.

He argued that the Court of Appeal had already issued a stay of proceedings on May 22, 2026, and that the lower court ought not to have proceeded to deliver judgment. “It is on record before Justice Peter Lifu that in the record of proceedings of the Court of Appeal of 22nd May, 2026, which was put before his Lordship as Exhibit MAC 2, the Court of Appeal specifically pronounced that the delivery of the judgment is still part of the proceedings of the Court,” the statement said.

Adeleke urged supporters in Osun State to remain calm, expressing confidence that the Court of Appeal would revisit the matter and that his party would remain on the ballot for the forthcoming governorship election.

Sowore, in a post on X, said: “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.”

INEC Had Just Re-recognized ADC Leadership.

The ruling comes 46 days after INEC restored David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary of the ADC on its portal, following a Supreme Court judgment that voided an earlier order freezing the party’s leadership. Court documents from 41 days ago also show INEC filed against deregistering ADC, arguing the application “failed to meet constitutional and legal requirements.”

INEC told the court that none of the grounds for deregistration had been established against ADC. The commission’s position directly contradicts Monday’s judgment ordering the party’s removal.

ADC governorship candidate in Osun, Oluyemi Olawale, described the judgment as a “miscarriage of justice” and confirmed the party would explore all legal channels to appeal. Legal experts say the key issue on appeal will be whether Justice Lifu breached the Court of Appeal’s stay order by delivering judgment.

Until the appeals are determined, INEC’s next action remains uncertain. The commission has not issued an official statement on whether it will immediately comply with the deregistration order or await the outcome of appellate proceedings.

The judgment has intensified political tension ahead of the Osun governorship election on August 8 and the 2027 general elections. Opposition parties argue that removing registered parties months before major elections undermines democratic participation and voter choice.