The Attorney General of the Federation has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties over alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements.
TheTimes Nigeria reports that the affected parties include the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators.
The plaintiffs argued that INEC’s continued recognition of the parties violates constitutional provisions and undermines electoral integrity.
They contended that the parties failed to meet the performance thresholds required under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the plaintiffs, the affected parties did not secure the minimum electoral performance required to retain their registration.
These include winning at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or securing at least one elective seat at the national, state or local government levels.
They maintained that despite poor performance in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections, the parties remain on INEC’s register.
In court filings, the Attorney General supported the plaintiff’s position, arguing that INEC is acting in breach of its constitutional duty by retaining such parties.
The AGF stated that, “unless the court intervenes, INEC would continue to act in breach of its constitutional duty.”
He added that the right to operate as a political party is not absolute and must comply with constitutional provisions.
The plaintiffs argued that the use of the word “shall” in the Constitution imposes a mandatory duty on INEC to deregister underperforming parties.
They insisted that failure to do so constitutes a continuing breach of constitutional obligations.
Beyond deregistration, the plaintiffs asked the court to restrain the affected parties from participating in future elections or engaging in political activities such as campaigns, rallies and primaries.
They also sought orders preventing INEC from recognising or dealing with the parties unless they comply with constitutional requirements.
The Attorney General described the suit as a public interest litigation aimed at safeguarding democratic integrity.
He noted that allowing underperforming parties to remain registered contributes to ballot congestion, increases election costs, and undermines accountability.
