A federal court in Nigeria on Monday ordered the election commission to de-register one of the main opposition parties following a lawsuit supported by the attorney-general.

Nigeria heads to the polls in January 2027, when President Bola Tinubu will seek re-election.

If the ruling – which the opposition African Democratic Congress said it would appeal – were to stand, ADC nominee Atiku Abubakar would not be able to contest the election, party spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi told AFP.

"We reject the ruling, we are immediately going to appeal," Abdullahi said.

'Does not meet minimum qualifications'

The lawsuit alleged that the ADC, along with four other, smaller political parties, had not reached the adequate vote thresholds in prior elections to be eligible for the 2027 vote.

The office of the attorney-general was originally listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, which was brought also against the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), the ADC and four smaller opposition parties.

But the attorney-general ended up backing the lawsuit, brought by a group called the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, citing the office's "duty to protect the constitution", according to court filings.

If Abubakar cannot run, that would potentially leave the poll without any major candidate from the north.

Former vice-president

Abubakar – a former vice-president popularly known simply as Atiku – came second in the 2023 presidential contest, with 29% of the vote.

Tinubu won the election among a split opposition, taking the presidency with 36.6% of the vote.