52 Political Parties Sue INEC Over De-Registration Threat

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was  dragged to a Federal High Court in Abuja by Better Nigeria Progressive Party and 51 other political parties on threat to deregister them.

The political parties also joined the Attorney-General of the Federation and the National Assembly as the 1st and 2nd defendants, respectively.

The suit was mentioned before Justice Gabriel Kolawole.

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr Kan Osieke, is seeking a declaration that Section 78 (7) (ii) of the Electoral Act 2011 as amended is unconstitutional and in effect, null and void.

Osieke is also seeking a declaration that Section 78 (7) (ii) of the Electoral Act 2011 as amended is a calculated attempt to suffocate life from young enterprising and growing political parties from growing.

He described it as an attempt to stop the 52 parties from participating in Nigerian politics.

Osieke is asking the court for a declaration that the said Section 78 (7) (ii) of the Electoral Act 2011 as amended be expunged as same offends Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which is a light to other Laws, Acts, Rules and Regulations.

The Counsel is asking for a declaration that the plaintiffs have the right to belong to any political party of their choice, work hard for them to grow after being duly registered according to law.

The plaintiffs have urged the Court to determine whether INEC has the powers to deregister them.

Specifically, the plaintiffs in the statement of questions, wanted the court to determine “whether INEC could deregister a party which had fulfilled and satisfied all requirements of registration.