Politics
INEC Explains Non-Registration Of APC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that it did not register the African People Congress (APC) as a political party because it did not meet the conditions for registration.
The INEC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Emmanuel Umenger, told newsmen last week in Abuja that the commission’s letter to APC was unambiguous on the issue.
Umenger said that it was left for the party to prove the commission wrong.
He said: “INEC as a law obeying body, relates with stakeholders in the electoral process basically on what the law of the land says.
“Our relationship with the stakeholders is determined by the relevant sections of the law.
“We don’t go outside the law, INEC has premised the non-registration of APC on its inability to satisfy the requirements of section 222a of the 1999 constitution as amended.
Umenger said that the commission also observed that there were some gaps in the form PA1 which was given to the political association.
“In our acknowledgement, 20 copies of the commission’s prescribed form PA1 were forwarded to the association for completion and return to the commission with affidavit in support of the claims in the form.
“Also, we listed other requirements to include establishment of party headquarters in the FCT with proof of ownership, constitution and manifesto of the political association,’’ he said.
According to him, the requirements also include evidence of payment of registration fee, and the association’s logo.
Umenger said as far as the law was concerned, APC did not meet the conditions, therefore, the commission had rejected the application of the APC to be registered as a political party.
However, the Director said that the party was at liberty to apply for registration under a new name.
“You are at the liberty to apply for registration as a political party but as far as APC is concerned the chapter is closed,’’ he said.
The Protem Chairman of African People Congress (APC), Chief Onyinye Ikeagwuonu, had criticised INEC for not registering the party.
Meanwhile Labour Party Chairman (LP) in the FCT, Mr Adejobi Peter, has expressed satisfaction on the maturity displayed by politicians and INEC over the controversy surrounding APC.
He also expressed delight on the improved political stability in Nigeria and said that the road toward absolute political stability “will be a gradual process”.
The Chairman, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja last week, gave kudos to the Commission for showing some level of maturity and decorum on the issue.
He particularly praised the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for putting all his experience and intellectual ability in managing the affairs of the Commission.
“Now that we are in the Fourth Republic, we are maintaining some level of stability, politics wise”, he said.
On de-registration of some political parties, Peter expressed optimism that the development would bring sanity to the political process of the country.
“As we approach 2015 general elections, we are going to have more serious political parties coming to play in the political development of the nation for good,” he said.
He allayed the fears in some quarters that the controversy in APC would affect the political stability of the country.
In its reaction the Africa People’s Congress (APC) says it is ready for judicial review of INEC’s decision not to register the political association, its Acting Chairman, Chief Onyinye Ikeagwuonu, has said.
“Toward this end, the association has raised a 20-man legal team, led by a Senior Advocate to pursue its objective,” he said on Thursday at the association’s world press conference in Abuja
Ikeagwuonu said the team would move out from Abuja on Friday for Obudu on a 10-day seclusion, to enable members have on “in-depth consideration of the association’s legal action.”
He described the decision as “illegal and premeditated”, adding that APC fulfilled constitutional requirements for registration.
“APC wish to announce and declare our resolve to challenge this flimsy decision in court as provided in section 79 of the Electoral Act, “he said.
According to Ikeagwuonu, Section 97 of the Electoral Act states that the decision of the Commission (INEC) not to register any association as a political party may be challenged in a court of law.
The Act adds that “any legal action challenging the decision of the commission shall be Commenced within 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter of notification of non registration from the Commission.
“We shall jealously guard and defend this process until justice is done.
“By the provisions of the section 79 of the electoral Act, judicial review of INEC decision not to register a political association is the final stage in the process of political party registration.”
Ikeagwuonu said that INEC had no right to register any other political party in the association’s name, acronym, symbol or logo, till the matter was finally disposed of by the court.
The Acting Chairman stated that the association had officially written to the INEC National Chairman, a letter of its intention to seek judiciary review.
He added that copies were also sent to INEC National Secretary, Political Party Department and Legal Department, pointing out that all those concerned had received and acknowledged the letter.
Alhaji Abubakar, who is also the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressed that Chief Obasanjo’s latest public outburst against him is yet another failed attempt to rewrite history.
Alhaji Abubakar specifically said that if the true history of Chief Obasanjo’s political journey is ever written—free from selective recollection and personal bitterness, he (Atiku) would feature prominently as one of those whom God used to change the course of his (Obasanjo) life and political career.
These were contained in a statement the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former Vice President, Mr Phrank Shaibu, released in which Atiku said he watched the former President’s interview with profound sadness, but not anger, because it reflected the disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.
Alhaji Abubakar said the genesis of Chief Obasanjo’s hostility towards him is well known to Nigerians, stressing that he is proud that he stood against the third-term agenda and stood by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the words of Alhaji Abubakar: “I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition. If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour.
“No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty”.
Alhaji Abubakar noted that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals, but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.
He said: “The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict. It Is therefore unfortunate that the same man whose unconstitutional ambition was resisted now seeks to sit in judgment over those who defended the Constitution”.
The ADC Presidential candidate said it was particularly instructive that barely twenty-four hours before Chief Obasanjo’s latest outburst, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly paid glowing tribute to the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had”.
“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them.
“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration,” he said.
Alhaji Abubakar further stated that Nigerians also deserve to remember the other side of history which Chief Obasanjo conveniently omits, saying: “History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom”.
He further said: “When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing.
“Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Alhaji Abubakar, however, said he harbours no regrets over any of those acts.
According to him: “Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions”.
He added, however, that gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.
Alhaji Abubakar particularly expressed disappointment that, at a time when Nigeria is battling economic hardship, mass unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former President would devote so much energy to recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions to the country’s challenges.
In the words of Atiku: “The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds”.
The former Vice President said he had deliberately maintained restraint over the years out of respect for the office Chief Obasanjo once occupied and in deference to the relationship they once shared.
He said: “That restraint should never be mistaken for weakness or docility. There comes a point when silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue. While I have no desire to engage in a public quarrel with a man I once stood beside in his most difficult moments, neither will I permit falsehoods, half-truths and calculated attempts to rewrite history to go unanswered.
“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to, are his own facts,” Alhaji Abubakar insisted.
The ADC presidential candidate reaffirmed that his attention remains firmly fixed on Nigeria’s future.
According to him; “I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination. Those who mistake my civility for capitulation, or my restraint for weakness, make a grave mistake.
“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict—and so will the Nigerian people,” he stated.
According to the electoral umpire, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on August 19, 2026, and end on January 15, 2027, exactly 24 hours before the elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
INEC also announced that campaigns for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026, and conclude on February 5, 2027, ahead of the polls slated for February 6, 2027.
The commission explained that the campaign schedule complies with the Electoral Act 2026, which stipulates that electioneering activities must not begin earlier than 150 days before an election and must end at least 24 hours before voting.
INEC urged political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to strictly adhere to the approved timetable and conduct their campaigns in accordance with the law, while encouraging the public to obtain electoral information only from its official communication channels to avoid misinformation.
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