Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s bid for the presidency in the 2027 general election took a major hit after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the deregistration of five political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the party he recently adopted to run for president again.
Delivering judgement on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties for failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.
The other affected parties are the Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The ruling followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026 filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the ADC and the four other parties had persistently failed to satisfy the performance thresholds stipulated under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution to retain their registrations.
The plaintiffs contended that the parties neither secured the required electoral votes nor met constitutional benchmarks required for their continued existence as registered political parties.
Political analysts said the judgement is unlikely to have an immediate effect on the affected parties, citing Nigeria’s legal system to challenge court decisions at the Court of Appeal.
Atiku emerged as ADC’s presidential candidate in May.
Monday’s judgement came on the day the party took a major decision preparatory to the 2027 presidential election, naming Rotimi Amaechi, Atiku’s arch rival in the party’s last primary election, as Atiku’s running mate.
For Atiku, the judgement strikes at the heart of months of political realignment that saw him leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and align with the ADC as part of efforts to build a united opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 election.
The former vice president has contested for president six times under different political parties and has in recent months sought to position the ADC as a viable alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Political observers said the court decision introduced fresh uncertainty into those plans, particularly as opposition politicians continue efforts to consolidate support ahead of campaign activities for the next election cycle.
ADC rejects ruling
The ADC has dismissed the judgement and vowed to challenge it through the appellate courts.
Reacting to the decision, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the ruling as an attempt to sideline opposition parties ahead of future elections, he maintained that the party would exhaust all constitutional and legal options available to overturn the judgment.
“We reject any and all attempts to intimidate, suppress, deregister, or politically extinguish our party and other opposition parties through means that offend both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution,” the statement read.
“As a law-abiding political party, the ADC will vigorously challenge this judgement through every lawful and constitutional avenue available to us. We shall mobilise all democratic stakeholders.”
Coalition faces fresh uncertainty
The development comes at a delicate moment for the ADC. Over the past year, the party has transformed as a fringe political platform into a rallying point for opposition figures seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
The coalition effort has, however, faced internal challenges, with disagreements among opposition figures over leadership, strategy and the choice of a common political party.
Founded in 2005 and registered by the INEC in 2006, the ADC has participated in several election cycles and maintained a presence in Nigeria’s political landscape through elected lawmakers and local political structures.
Although the party has never produced a president or state governor, it has recorded electoral successes to win legislative seats at the National Assembly.
Its recent prominence was largely driven by opposition politicians searching for a platform outside the APC and the PDP to build a broader coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
READ ALSO: 2027: ADC names Amaechi as Atikus running mate
Atiku’s long history of party defections
Atiku’s political journey has been marked by serial party movements over the past two decades.
He was elected vice president in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and remained in the party until disagreements with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo which led to his defection to the Action Congress (AC) ahead of the 2007 presidential election.
He later returned to the PDP in 2009, defected to the APC in 2014, and rejoined the PDP in 2017 before moving to the ADC as part of the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential race. He unsuccessfully ran for the presidency on the platform of the PDP in 2019 and 2023.
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