Africa-Press – Nigeria. A Nigerian court has ordered the electoral body to remove one of the main opposition parties and four other parties from its register for failing to meet constitutional requirements, a ruling that could reshape the electoral landscape ahead of the upcoming January elections.
The federal high court judge, Peter Livo, instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress and the other parties, supporting claims by former lawmakers that they did not meet the minimum performance standards required for elections.
Nigerian law stipulates that any party must win at least one electoral seat at any level or secure at least 25% of the votes in a state during presidential elections; otherwise, it risks being deregistered.
This ruling poses a challenge for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the Democratic Labour Party and one of the main rivals to President Bola Tinubu, and it may tighten the opposition’s grip.
The spokesperson for the Democratic Labour Party, Bolaji Abdullah, rejected the ruling, describing it as “a blatant call for chaos.” He added that the party would appeal the ruling through all legal and constitutional channels.
