Court Orders INEC to Deregister ADC, Accord, AA, APP and ZLP

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties after a suit challenging their continued registration.

The parties named in the ruling are the African Democratic Congress, Accord, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party. Reports said Justice Peter Lifu delivered the order on Monday, June 15, 2026.

The case was reportedly filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators. The plaintiffs argued that the affected parties failed to meet the constitutional and electoral performance requirements for continued registration as political parties.

The ruling comes at a politically sensitive period because ADC has been repositioning itself ahead of the 2027 general elections. The party has also been involved in coalition talks and candidate announcements in recent weeks.

For now, the development should be read as a court order directing INEC to act, not as confirmation that INEC has already completed deregistration. The electoral body had not issued a separate implementation statement at the time of this draft.

If enforced, the order could force the affected parties into urgent legal or political decisions, including appeal options, merger talks or fresh coalition arrangements before the next election cycle fully opens.

The ruling also puts renewed attention on Nigeria’s rules for party survival, especially the thresholds that determine whether smaller parties remain on INEC’s register after election cycles. It is likely to trigger debate among opposition actors because several of the affected platforms have been part of recent coalition calculations.

Sources: Daily Trust, TheCable, Nairametrics.