“Sigh of Ridicule” as Nigeria’s court orders INEC to deregister main opposition parties from 2027 polls
*Affected political parties: ADC, Accord, three others
*We await implementation of this ruling – Nigerians
By KEMI KASUMU and OUR REPORTER, Abuja
Those displeased by the judgment said it is the much mouthed executive’s plot to give Tinubu a headway towards achieving his attempt to incapacitate the Muslim North in the coming election as, according to them, the judgement is allegedly planned to effectively take the most popular candidate, Atiku Abubakar, off the ballot. This, they said, will leave the stage for only Tinubu of APC, Peter Obi of Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Seyi Makinde of APM, all contestants from Southern Nigeria and then the president using INEC will declare himself winner being the most high in strength backed with Federal Might.
Nigerian judiciary was, on Monday June 15, 2026, said to have been thrown into a pit of ridicule by the current political manipulations ongoing in the country with a Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the only visible opposition political parties thus vindicating critics alleging that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) wants only its candidate to be eligible for the 2027 presidential election.
The affected political parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The court order followed a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu. Recall that the INEC, in its response to a suit in which it was joined by the National Forum of Former Legislators, had said there would be no need for stopping those parties because they breached no registration requirements.
The Forum was seeking de-registration of the main opposition political parties and following an earlier response by Tinubu’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), concurred in a response he was required as co-defenders in the suit that many Nigerians have described as a huge joke that would never be allowed to stand.
The National Forum of Former Legislators had, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, prayed the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to remove political parties that fail to meet the electoral performance thresholds set out in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as reinforced by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s regulations.
It was the position of the plaintiff that the five political parties listed as defendants in the matter had persistently failed to meet the constitutional benchmarks required to retain their registration.
The former legislators stressed that the requirements 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 level.
They told the court that the ADC and the four other parties performed poorly in both the 2023 general elections and by-elections conducted by INEC, thereby failing to win seats across key tiers of government.
The litigants insisted that the continued existence of the ADC and the other defendants as recognised political parties is unlawful and undermines the integrity of the country’s electoral system.
Among other reliefs, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that INEC is duty-bound to deregister such parties.
It further urged the court to compel the commission to deregister the five political parties before preparations for the 2027 elections advance further.
Beyond declaratory reliefs, the plaintiff prayed the court to restrain the five affected parties from participating in general elections or engaging in political activities such as campaigns, rallies, and primaries.
It also sought a court injunction restraining INEC from recognising or dealing with the parties in any official capacity unless and until they strictly comply with constitutional provisions.
Although the judgment is seen by those favoured as one that will affect the chances of candidates of the affected political parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to contest the 2027 presidential poll, Nigerians who said they are already done with APC and its manipulative spirits said “We await implementation of this ruling”, said one of them who retired to Our Reporter in Abuja while reacting to the judgment on Monday June 15, 2026.
Those displeased by the judgment said it is the much mouthed executive’s plot to give Tinubu a headway towards achieving his attempt to incapacitate the Muslim North in the coming election as, according to them, the judgement is allegedly planned to effectively take the most popular candidate, Atiku Abubakar, off the ballot.
This, they said, will leave the stage for only Tinubu of APC, Peter Obi of Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Seyi Makinde of APM, all contestants from Southern Nigeria and then the president using INEC will declare himself winner being the most high in strength backed with Federal Might.
