Following the recent Supreme Court judgment with regards to the National Unity Party (NUP’s) case challenging the deregistration of some political parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the main case to watch is that of 22 political parties which is yet to be decided.
The ADC believed that the NUP’s case against INEC “is not of much consequence.”
National Chairman of the ADC, Ralphs Okey Nwosu, Tuesday in Abuja, said the NUP really had no case, adding that “the Electoral Act empowers INEC to deregistered political parties, that should not be in dispute.
“The Supreme Court judgment with regards to the National Unity Party NUP case is not of much consequence.
“INEC is playing some tricks and colluding with some party leaders and politicians in an attempt to undernine court processes which is pitiful. The case to watch and which INEC was trying to use NUP to undermine is that involving 22 political parties.
“My concern is that some government agencies do not respect the court. INEC continues failing to do the needful. By their actions of not respecting and recognizing Appeal Court ruling reinstating the 22 political parties, INEC sends the wrong signals.
“The Appeal court judgment did not in any way try to take away the power of INEC to regulate and deregister parties if needed. But the appeal court says that INEC like a responsible agency should follow due procedures in dispensing their work.
“It is scandalous that INEC should involve itself in peddling anti-party news and be desperate in its bit to thwart and scorn the judiciary. The truth is that majority of the political appointees are pushing agendas of their godfathers.
“So INEC knows the game they are playing, they want to own and manipulate political parties and IPAC the way they want and abuse other institutions as they wish.”
