If the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja is immediately enforced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, who is contesting the Osun State 2026 off-cycle governorship election on the platform of Accord Party, may not participate in the elections.
The Federal High Court has ordered INEC to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, and three other political parties for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements for their continued registration.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the order on Monday in a judgment, ruling that the affected parties violated provisions of Section 225 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The section empowers INEC to deregister political parties from its register if they fail to win any elective position during elections at the federal, state, or local government levels.
Forum of Former Legislators against INEC, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and
the affected political parties.The plaintiffs argued that the parties had failed to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration, relying on Section 225(a) of the Constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
They urged the court to declare that INEC had a constitutional responsibility to deregister parties that no longer met the legal requirements and also sought an order compelling the commission to remove them from its register and bar them from participating in future elections.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, who was joined as a defendant in the matter, supported the prayers presented by the plaintiffs.
The judgment, if immediately implemented, could alter the political landscape ahead of the elections and affect candidates contesting under the platforms of the affected parties.
Among those whose political ambitions may be affected are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who recently emerged as the presidential candidate of ADC, and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of Accord Party in the August governorship election.
