A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Thursday, held that the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deregister political parties was sancrosant.
Justice Anwuli Chikere in her judgment held that Section 225(a) of the Constitution gives INEC the powers to deregister parties that failed to comply with the provisions of the Constitution.
No fewer than 32 political parties had approached the court seeking order to set aside the decision of INEC to deregister 74 political parties in the countrythst failed to make constitutional requirements to function as political party.
However, the court refused the prayers of the plaintiffs and upheld the constitutional powers of INEC to deregister political parties.
Last month, Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the same court in Abuja had in two separate judgments also upheld the same powers of INEC.
Justice Taiwo affirmed the deregistration of the National Unity Party and the Hope Democratic Party by the electoral commission.
In her judgment Thursday, Justice Chikere held that the parties failed to state sufficient facts to support their claims while stating that where a provision of the law is unambiguous, it ought to be given its simple interpretation, hence, Section 225(a) of Constitution is clear and unambiguous and should be interpreted in support of the deregistration done by INEC.
The court also vacated the earlier injunction granted to the parties and dismissed their suit in its entirety.
The parties had filed their suit last year to restrain INEC from carrying out the exercise when they got to know about the plans of the commission.
The judge had earlier in February, 2020 issued an order restraining INEC from acting on the notice deregistering the 32 political parties, pending the determination of the suit.
With this judgment, it now brings the total to 36, the numbers of political parties that have had their deregistration affirmed by the court.
For now, only 18 political parties not deregistered are the lawfully recognized political parties in Nigeria.
Some of de-reregistered political parties include, Advanced Congress of Democrats, Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party, All Blending Party, All Grand Alliance Party, Better Nigeria Progressive Party, Democratic People’s Congress, Freedom and Justice Party, and Green Party of Nigeria, among others.
