Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, wielded the big stick and deregistered 74 political parties in one full swoop.
The action effectively barred them from contesting future elections in the country exceptt a court of law rules otherwise.
With the delisting, Nigeria now has 18 political parties.
Chairman of the Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, who announced the deregistration, said the decision was based on the powers vested in INEC to register and regulate the activities of political parties.
He further noted that by the decision, the Commission can only Accord recognition to only 16 political parties, including Accord Party (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Congress (APC) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Accordingto him, others that fulfilled the requirements for existence include; Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressive Party (YPP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
He hinged the reason for the deregistration on “breach of any of the requirements for registration as a political party. Failure to win at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in one State of the Federation in a Presidential election or 25 per cent of the votes cast in one Local Government Area of a State in a governorship election.
“Failure to win at least one ward in a Chairmanship election, one seat in the National or State Assembly election or one seat in a Councillorship election.”
“Subsequently, the courts ordered the Commission to reinstate the parties. It was for this reason that the National Assembly amended the Constitution to empower the Commission to deregister political parties on the following grounds:
“In order to implement the provision of the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution, the Commission carried out an assessment of political parties to determine compliance with the requirements for their registration. Similarly, following the conclusion of the 2019 general.
Delisted parties
•Freedom and Justice Party
•Grassroots Development Party
of Nigeria
•Green Party of Nigeria
•Hope Democratic Party
•Independent Dekocrats
•Justice Must Prevail Party
•Kowa Party
•Liberation Movement
•Legacy Party of Nigeria
•Mass Action Joint Alliance
•Modern Democrafic Party
•Masses Movement of Nigeria
•Mega Party of Nigeria
•Moverment for the Restoration
and Defence of Democracy
•National Action Council
•Nigeria Community Movement
Parry
•National Conscience Party
•Nigeria Democratic Congress Party
•National Democrafic Liberty Party
•Nigeria Elements Progressive Party
•Nigeria for Democracy
•New Generation Party of Nigeria
•National Intetest Party
•Nigeria Peoples Congress
•New Progressive Movement
•National Unity Party
•Peoples Coalition Party
•Peoples for Demodratic Change
•Peoples Democrafic Movement
•Progressive Peoples Alliance
•Providence Peoples Congress
•Peoples Party of Nigeria
• Progressive Party
•Peoples Trust
•Reform and Advancement Party
•Re-Build Nigeria Party
•Restoration Party of Nigeria
•Save Nigeria Congress
•Sustainable National Party
•Socialist Party of Nigeria
•United Democrafic Party
•United Patriots
•United Peoples Congress
•United Party of Nigeria
•United Progressive Party
•We the People of Nigeria
•Young Democratic Party
•Yes Electorate Solidarity
•Youth Party