Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has filed a bold and far-reaching application before a court of competent jurisdiction, urging the judiciary to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Action Peoples Party (APP), and three other political parties, in a major legal move that could significantly reshape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The AGF’s application, which has attracted widespread attention from political stakeholders, legal practitioners, and civil society organisations across the country, is anchored on the argument that the affected parties have failed to meet the constitutional and statutory requirements stipulated under Nigerian electoral law for the continued recognition and operation of registered political parties.
Among the key grounds cited in the AGF’s application are the parties’ alleged failure to win a stipulated minimum number of seats in previous general elections — a constitutional benchmark that registered political parties in Nigeria are required to meet in order to retain their registration status with INEC and remain legally eligible to participate in future electoral contests.
The move comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the ADC, which is already embroiled in a deep and damaging internal leadership crisis following the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment sacking former Senate President David Mark and ex-Minister Rauf Aregbesola from the party’s national leadership structure.
Legal analysts have described the AGF’s court action as a significant test of Nigeria’s electoral regulatory framework, noting that the deregistration of multiple parties — if granted — could force hundreds of politicians and aspirants to seek new political platforms ahead of 2027, potentially triggering a wave of defections and political realignments across the country.
Critics, however, have raised concerns that the timing of the AGF’s application — with the 2027 elections drawing closer — could be interpreted as a deliberate attempt by the ruling establishment to weaken the opposition by eliminating platforms that provide alternatives to the dominant political parties.
INEC and the affected political parties are expected to respond formally to the AGF’s application in the coming days, as the matter is set to be heard before the court.
CDA News Nigeria will continue to monitor all legal and political developments in this high-stakes case and bring you comprehensive updates as they emerge.
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