You can’t deregister parties, court tells INEC

ABUJA, Nigeria – Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja  this morning restrained Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from deregistering 31 political parties.

Justice Chikere,  who was ruling on  motion for interlucutory injuction brought before it by  31 political parties deregistered by INEC  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 with suit number: FHC//ABJ/ CS/444/19 between Advanced Congress of Democratic (ACD) and 2 others Vs. Attorney General of the Federation and another (INEC), the applicants had on Oct. 30, 2019, approached the court to restrain INEC from carrying out threat to deregister political parties.

INEC had, on February 6, deregistered 75 political parties.

Briefing journalists in Abuja, INEC chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu said there are currently only 18 registered political parties in Nigeria.

The 18 parties are Accord Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance and Allied Peoples Movement.

Others are Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party, and Zenith Labour Party.