Some aggrieved political parties that got the axe of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have threatened to take action against the decision to de-register them.
INEC had yesterday axed 74 parties due to their failure to win at least one political seat in 2019 general elections.
The chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who released names of the deregistered political parties at a press conference in Abuja, declared 18 other political parties were duly registered and recognized by the commission.
They are the Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance, (AA); African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APG); Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Labour Party (LP), National Rescue Movement (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM),
The others are Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
He also stated that the BOOT party registered after the 2019 general elections would continue to exist.
Yakubu also stated that the Action People’s Party (APP) had filed a suit and obtained a court order restraining INEC from deregistering it.
“In order to implement the provision of the Fourth Alteration to the constitution, the commission carried out an assessment of political parties to determine compliance with the requirements for their registration.
“Similarly, following the conclusion of the 2019 general elections, including court-ordered re-runs arising from litigation, the commission was able to determine the performance of political parties in the elections.
“In addition, they were also assessed on the basis of their performance in the area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory which coincided with the 2019 general elections. It should be noted that the FCT is the only part of the country where INEC is empowered by the constitution to conduct LG elections.
“Consequently, the commission has determined that 18 political parties have fulfilled the requirements for existence based on Section 225A of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
“Seventy-five political parties did not satisfy the requirements of the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution. However, one of the political parties, the Action Peoples Party, filed a suit and obtained an order restraining the commission from de-registering it. Consequently, the party remains registered pending the determination of the case by the court.
“The new political party, Boot Party, registered by court order after the 2019 general elections will also continue to exist.
“Accordingly, 74 political parties are hereby deregistered. With this development, Nigeria now has 18 registered political parties. The list of the parties will be shared and will also be available on our website and social media platforms,” said Yakubu.
Reacting to INEC’s action, ADP said in a statement that it remained the only credible alternative political party to the two dominant parties – APC and PDP.
Spokesman for the party, Mr. Adelaja Adeoye called on its members to prepare ahead of the 2023 elections saying the party has all it takes to take over the reins of power at the centre.
“The party charged all leaders and members of the need to double their efforts in attracting more members and prominent Nigerians, and ensure that the party is not just there to provide alternative but to take charge of leadership at the centre come 2023, because it has what it takes to produce the next President and governors in all the States,” said Adeoye.
For its part, NCP said INEC’s action was “totally unacceptable” adding that the party would take up the matter in court.
“We will challenge this decision in the court of law. It is totally unacceptable to us, it is simply a way of strangulating the voice of the people and it denies Nigerians the opportunity to run for elections on any platform they deem fit and it negates the principle of democracy anywhere in the world,” said the party’s national chairman, Mr. Yunusa Tanko.
Also reacting, the southeast vice chairman, southeast of Fresh Democratic Party (FDP), Ms. Chizoba Onu said she was not surprised at the electoral body’s decision.
“The way democracy is practised in Nigeria is not the way it is practised all over the world,” she said.
She said the court had earlier stopped INEC from deregistering political parties “but the electoral still went ahead to fulfill its theoretical notion.”
She insisted that FDP met all the requirements “except the claim of not winning any political seat in the last general elections which should (not) be an actual yardstick.”
“Before you deregister a political party, have you even asked yourself if we have a fair and credible election? Was it fair enough for you to deregister a party on that ground?”
Also, the national secretary of AD), Mr. Fasogbon Akinboye said the INEC does not have a genuine reason to arrive at such a decision and vowed to challenge INEC in court.
“We are not moneybags, we don’t buy votes,” Akinboye said,
For a legal practitioner, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, the deregistration of the 74 political parties is an act of illegality.
“I believe that there is no power in the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister parties, once registered. Under the freedom of association, in the constitution, once that registration has been done, it is not conditional upon winning or losing election. That Section 40 of the Constitution has been tested by (the late) Chief Gani Fewehinmi up to the Supreme Court, when the party of Balarabe Musa was deregistered by INEC,” he added.
With Premium Times, Punch reports
