Lagos State chapter of the National Conscience Party (NCP) has said that the recent decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to de-register 74 political parties was illegal and did not follow provisions of the law.
NCP, in a statement signed by Mr. Fatai Ibu-Owo, the Lagos State chapter chairman, made available to newsmen on Monday, stated that the party and 32 others had instituted a legal action at the Federal High Court against the electoral agency.
It said: “The Suit Number FHC/ABJ/CS/444/2019 filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking among other things, an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from deregistering political parties pending the determination of the suit.
The party said: “The Federal High Court, having heard the motion for an interlocutory injunction on January 23, 2020, adjourned for ruling on the matter to February 17, 2020.
“It has become illegal for INEC to take such draconic decision, which is against the law of the land. It is an abuse of the court process and a conscious disregard for the rule of law.”
Ibu-Owo recalled that on July, 2015, NCP Lagos instituted a case against the Attorny General of the Federation and National Assembly on de-registeration of political parties.
“NCP lost at Ikoyi Federal High Court. The matter was presided over by Justice Abang. Immediately after the purported judgement, NCP proceeded to Court of Appeal, where we won. Up till this moment, nobody has challenged that victory of ours.”
He also recalled that after the judgement, all de-registered parties were reinlisted such as Fresh Party, PPP and others, stressing that “It was a shock to us when we saw a Breaking News that 74 political parties has been de-registered.
“It was disappointing that the INEC has no genuine reasons for de-registering political parties.”
He cited INEC’s explanation that the de-registered parties had not been winning elections, maintaining that the electoral agency had never in history conducted a free, fair and credible election.
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“Over 97% of elections conducted by INEC was manipulated, like Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, Kwara, Kogi gubernatorial elections, to mention a few.
“Which of the elections does it want us to win? Is it the one the ruling party makes use of hoodlums to kill opposition during the election? Or, stealing of ballot boxes in the presence of INEC and other security officers?
“In fact, we are all aware that some INEC officials collected bribe from opposition party in order to work in their favour.
“Britain has more than 100 political parties. Majority of these parties have not won any election and they remain opposition parties.”
Ibu-Owo said there were several factors that made INEC to de-register NCP, saying, it included laziness on the part of the electoral agency.
He said, according to the oral evidence from INEC, they found it difficult to collate and count all the results after election because of the way the ballot papers were printed, which made the paper to be too long, and the use of money by the ruling party during elections, which he stressed NCP would not be involved in.
He said: “The political elite in the country studied the political environment because of non-performance of the elected officers and concluded to de-register all revolutionary parties and others so that in the nearest future, there will be no place for anyone to run to, so the people will be forced to join just few political parties left behind.
“In a nutshell, INEC has bastardised the Nigerian democracy. There is no freedom of choice anymore. Majority of the parties de-registered by INEC were ideological parties.
“The level of voter apathy will increase geometrically because people have no interest in both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the alternative parties having been de-registered.”
