Court Oder: 31 Political Parties Will Not Be Deregistered By INEC

There have been mixed reactions following the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister about 74 political parties in the country. 

Over the years, we have had only two parties dominate Nigeria’s political system. People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC) have been in power tussle while other political parties have been acting like walking corps. 

Many have commended the move by INEC to wipe off these political parties without realistic ambition from the system. In fact, some of them have been accused of extorting money from party members. While some see them as political distractions. 

According to the National Chairman of Action Alliance, Adekunle Rufai, the deregistration of some political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission will bring sanity to the electoral process and lesson burden on the Commission.

Even though Nigeria is practicing a multi-party political system, that should not warrant the existence of certain political policies that do not meet certain requirement. 

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Anwuli Chikere has restrained Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from deregistering 31 political parties.

Justice Chikere, in her ruling in Abuja on Monday, said having failed to counter the application by the applicants, the affected political parties had the legal right which must be protected.

In an interlocutory motion between Advanced Congress of Democratic (ACD) and two others versus the Attorney General of the Federation and another, the applicants had on October 30, 2019, approached the court seeking protection.

INEC had earlier on February 6 deregistered 74 political parties for failing to win elections.

Chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu had disclosed that the action was carried out after a review of the performance of political parties after the 2019 general elections to see which parties qualify to exists.