INEC Under Pressure to Deregister ADC, Labour Party, Others — Igbokwe

Chairman, Board of Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators, Raphael Igbokwe, has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is under pressure to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party and other political parties.

Igbokwe made the claim while addressing journalists shortly after the Federal High Court in Abuja fixed March 24 to rule on a joinder application in a suit seeking to compel INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Action Alliance (AA) over alleged non-compliance with constitutional requirements.

He said the forum approached the court to seek clarification and interpretation of certain constitutional provisions relating to the regulation of political parties, stressing that their intention was to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.

According to him, INEC, as a constitutional body operating within a democracy governed by the rule of law, is expected to carry out its duties strictly in line with constitutional provisions.

“We felt that INEC should be up and doing. We operate a constitutional democracy in which every entity, body and authority is expected to carry out its operations according to the provisions of the Constitution.

“As a country that also runs the rule of law, we are worried that INEC seems to be choosing which political parties to apply the law to. If they could apply the law five years ago in 2021 and deregister 74 political parties, why are they not applying the law now?” he queried.

He expressed optimism that the court would give a definitive ruling on the matter, noting that the outcome would further enrich the nation’s electoral jurisprudence.