IPAC Advises Reps To Stop De-Registration Of Parties’ Investigation

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has advised the House of Representatives to halt its plan to investigate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on why some political parties have not been deregistered.
The council made the call in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ademola Babatunde, in Abuja last Wednesday.
Babatunde said the advice became necessary as IPAC’s  attention had been drawn to the move by the assembly to investigate INEC over its failure to deregister political parties.
He said that such “purported decision” was undemocratic and contrary to the principles of constitutional democracy.
Babatunde said that the move should be immediately stopped, particularly when the matter was before a court of competent jurisdiction.
He noted: “It is an elementary principle of Nigerian legislative process that once matters are before a competent court of record, no authority or persons legislate upon them, unless and until it is determined on merit.
“Any attempt to discuss such matters robs the court of its guaranteed power as encapsulated under Section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The Supreme Court has reiterated in numerous cases, that where authorities or group of persons undermine the level of speed with which the court of law travels, it amounts to self-help and contravention of advanced democracy and the spirit of law.”
He said that political parties de-registration was never a solution to the enormous challenges facing Nigeria’s electoral processes or other areas that needed drastic attention.
Babatunde said that at this time the amendments to the Electoral Act should be the major point of discourse in order to plan effectively for the years ahead from the lessons derived from the 2019 general elections.
“It will be better to intelligently look at the constraints and lacuna in our Electoral Act and effect a credible process that will create avenue for peaceful, free, fair and credible elections that will reflect the true will of Nigerians.
“This should be done rather than presenting a motion for an action geared towards the de-registration of political parties,” he said.
He said that the number of political parties was not the problem affecting the credibility of the electoral process.
Babatunde said that attention should be on issue of violence and the killings of innocent Nigerians during elections, snatching of ballot papers, ballot boxes, abuse of INEC staff, vote buying, vote selling, among others.
“It is expedient, for the House Committee on Electoral Matters to be more concerned about matters that have direct bearing on the delivery of free, fair and credible electoral processes for the benefit of all Nigerians,” he said.
“In respect to the rule of law and separation of powers, the House of Representatives should patiently await the just determination of the suit initiated by political parties, without any further discussion on the issue,” he said.