Appeal Court set aside INEC’s deregistration of 22 parties

Abuja division of the Appeal Court on Monday reversed deregistration of 22 political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The 22 political parties were among the 74 de-registered in February 2020 by the INEC, on the premise that necessary constitutional requirements were not met.

Delivering judgement on Monday, a panel of the Court of Appeal, led by the court’s president, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, was unanimous in holding that INEC ignored due process in exercising its powers under Section 225(a) of the Constitution (as amended).

She noted that not only were the affected political parties already in court before INEC exercised its constitutional powers to de-register a party, but the electoral umpire also failed to inform the parties why they could no longer exist.

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The political parties are Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), All Blending Party (ABP), All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP), Alliance of Social Democrats (ASD), Change Advocacy Party (CAP), Democratic People’s Congress (DPC), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN) and Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN).

Also, others include New Generation Party of Nigeria (NGPA), Nigeria For Democracy (NFD), Peoples Coalition Party (PCP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Young Democratic Party (YDP), Re-Build Nigeria Party (RBNP), Save Nigeria Congress (SNC), Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), United Democratic Party (UDP), United Patriots (UP) and We The People of Nigeria (WTPN).