Court upholds INEC’s power to de-register political parties

The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the Power of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to deregister political parties which failed to comply with the provisions of the law particularly Section 225 A of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo in a landmark judgment delivered in the Suit filed by the National Unity Party, one of the 74 parties deregistered by INEC in February affirmed that the constitutional power of the electoral commission and the reasons given by the Commission for the  deregisteration of parties are valid,in conformity with the law , sacrosanct and could not be affected by the fact of anticipated Local govt elections by some states which dates were not fixed, certain or even ascertainable.

The Court therefore held that the deregistration of National Unity Party as a political party in Nigeria was lawfully done in exercise of vested constitutional powers of INEC in accordance with Section 225A  of the 1999 Constitution.
It would be recalled that INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, in February announced de-registration of 74 out of the 91 parties in the country.

With the development, the country now has 18 political parties.
The 18 parties that survived

The 18 parties that survived INEC’s hammer include Accord Party (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Others are Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Yakubu, however, said one of the political parties, Action Peoples Party (APP), filed a suit in court and obtained an order restraining the commission from deregistering it, and so remained registered pending the determination of the case by the court.

He also said the 18th party, which was a new political party, Boot Party (BP), registered by court order after the 2019 general elections, will also continue to exist.