FG Seeks Court Order to Deregister Five Political Parties Ahead of 2027 Polls

The Federal Government has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Accord Party, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In the suit, the Attorney General of the Federation is asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the affected parties from its register, arguing that their continued recognition violates constitutional provisions guiding political participation in Nigeria.
According to court documents, the government warned that failure to act would mean INEC would “continue to act in breach of its constitutional duty” by allowing parties that have not met legal requirements to remain active.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators. INEC is listed as the first defendant, while the Attorney General of the Federation is the second defendant. The parties involved in the suit are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party (A), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
At the centre of the dispute is whether INEC is constitutionally bound to deregister political parties that fail to meet electoral performance standards outlined by law. The plaintiffs insist that the commission has no discretion once such benchmarks are not met.
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