Oyo LG polls: OYSIEC flouting Appeal Court judgement – SPN

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) on Wednesday accused the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, (OYSIEC ) of flouting Court of Appeal judgement with its exclusion as one of the registered political parties to participate in the planned May 15 local government election in the state.

In a letter dated April 7, 2021 addressed to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, (OYSIEC ) Chairman accused the commission of “continued refusal to recognise” SPN as one of the  registered political parties qualified to participate in the local government elections scheduled to hold on the 15th May, 2021.

The party stated that the OYSIEC action contravenes the subsisting judgement of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja in APPEAL NO. CA/ABJ/ CV/ 507/ 2020,  ACD & 21 others AND the Attorney General of the Federation & INEC.”

“We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, Oyo State Chapter write to officially notify the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) of our displeasure over the Commission’s continued refusal to recognise our Party as one of registered political parties qualified to participate in the local government elections scheduled to hold on the 15th May, 2021” , it said.

SPN added, “It is worthy to note that the need for this letter was partly provoked by a recent media report where in a meeting held with some political parties you were quoted calling on political parties to intensify efforts in their preparation for the scheduled local government elections.”

Describing the call as “an act of hypocrisy especially when a registered political party like ours that is ready for an active participation in the elections remains deliberately excluded by the same OYSIEC”, SPN stressed.

“We equally consider it very important to bring to the notice of the Commission, the subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja in APPEAL NO. CA/ABJ/CV/507/2020, ACD & 21 others AND the Attorney General of the Federation  & INEC wherein the purported and illegal deregistration of our Party, SPN was nullified by the Full Panel of the Court of Appeal led by the President, Hon Justice M. B  Dongban Mensem.

“Also, note that the above judgement cannot be stayed, and indeed has not been stayed and as we write, the INEC has no valid appeal against the judgement at the Supreme Court. Even if it has, appeal in law does not operate as a stay of execution of a subsisting judgement.

Speaking, the OYSIEC Chairman Barrister Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, said the commission was following the list of registered political parties collected from the Independent National Electoral Commission, ( INEC ), and that  the issue of exclusion of SPN name can be resolved amicably.  

Leave a Reply