Why INEC party de-registration won’t stand – NCMP

The national chairman of the Nigeria Community Movement Party (NCMP) deregistered Thursday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Comrade Babatunde Ademola, says the commission’s action is in violation of the law.  

The deregistration

The chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, had on Thursday announced the disqualification of 74 political parties on the ground that they failed to meet constitutional requirements that determine the continuous existence of political parties in the country.  The Commission also said it would continue to register political parties as long as they meet the stipulated requirements.

Why it won’t stand

The leadership of one of the 74 proscribed parties, the Nigeria Community Movement Party (NCMP) has condemned the recent deregistration of 74 political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The chairman of the party, Comrade Babatunde Ademola while fielding questions as a guest on a political programme on national TV, said the action taken by the electoral body can be termed a ‘political fraud’ which will not be accepted by Nigerians in a democratic era such as this.

Breach of law

Ademola, who contested as a presidential candidate at the 2019 general elections, pointed out that about 33 parties have approached the court to restrain INEC from going ahead with this action binding the electoral body not to act until the court gives a pronouncement.

The case will have its final hearing on February 17, 2020. In his words, “INEC has acted without integrity and this is a political fraud. INEC cannot act without waiting for what the court has to say. 

“The case is still in court and will have its final ruling on Monday, 17th February. The case had been heard, court had sat 4 times without INEC’s appearance in court, the office of the  Attorney General of the Federation was joined in the suit and it only appeared in court once. 

“INEC was duly served all the court process but in a bid to promote it usual administrative mischief decided to ignore the court of law. 

“It should be noted that the grounds that INEC claimed to have deregistered 74 political parties, shows that INEC is the major problem of our electoral processes in Nigeria.  If INEC will authoritatively deprive 74 political parties from participating in the forthcoming elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra and other local council elections coming up, this is to be noted as hostility towards a democratic state.

“We are in a democratic era and these political parties are by Nigerians and for Nigerians.”

“For a party like ours, we came up weeks before the general elections and met all the requirements during the registration process. After the elections, INEC conducted a verification exercise for all political parties and we still met the requirements. Now, INEC chairman announcing the deregistration of  duly registered parties (especially when the case is in court) is a joke to me.

“Political parties were registered in INEC’s office, lawfully, in line with sec.221 &  222 of the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, not on a TV station. So, INEC cannot make a media announcement  with no formal discussion with the parties involved.” 

IPAC reacts

However, the INEC had said contrary to reports in some quarters, there was no court order(s) refraining the Commission from taking its decision to deregister 74 political parties.

But the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) asked the electoral umpire to rescind its decision to deregister the parties due to pending court action instituted by 33 political parties.

IPAC said it was aware of a court action instituted in the Federal High Court, seeking amongst other things, an order restraining INEC from deregistering concerned political parties, pending the determination of the suit.

But the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said filing a matter in court alone could not have stopped INEC from carrying out its mandate.

 “INEC is a law-abiding institution and our compliance with court orders and judgments have been well reported and documented. When the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced the deregistration of 74 political parties on February 6, he revealed that only 16 political parties met the criteria for existence based on Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“However, one political party, the Action People’s Party (APP), filed a suit in court and obtained an order restraining INEC from deregistering it. Therefore, the party remains registered until the determination of the case. “One other party that was registered after last year’s general elections was also spared. This brings the number to 18”, he said.

NCMP passed constitutional requirement

Ademola noted that INEC is just one out of the electoral bodies that exist in Nigeria, saying most political parties have candidates for local government elections that will be conducted in the different states of the federation which the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) will oversee.

He pointed out that the requirements under the section 225 of the constitution that was passed in 2018 which backs the deregistration of political parties have not been totally considered, and as such renders INEC decision as unlawful.

The party chairman called for the immediate removal of the chairman of the commission.

“INEC under this current leadership of Prof Mamood Yakubu lacks integrity in all front, it is a commission without direction, the commission is not in any way ready to solve or advice the government of the day on an excellent way to go for our elections to be credible. 

“The same INEC will eventually announce registration of new parties very soon, the one registered by their ally, majority of which are those who nominated their commissioners. 

“The question is in whose interest had INEC acted, whose authority? The law, the constitution that it has refused severally to obey. 

“Political parties were deregistered based on performances in 2019 general election which can be considered the most fraudulent,  manipulated,  unmerited and unjust elections in the history of Nigeria.

“We are in court, we will protest, we will ensure that every lawful and legal means is taken to stop this fraud on Nigerians again. 

“This government has crippled every institution that gives up to the unity of common masses and right now it is coming hard on the only legal platform for choosing leadership in Nigeria.  

“We are very sure of the fact that the court will protect the interest of all Nigerians and restore political parties. The court will not allow INEC to take such powers that does not belong to it for posterity sake.”

He, therefore, stated that these political parties still remain valid until otherwise pronounced by the court of law.

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