Nigeria’s elections
body has announced that 75 political parties had been deregistered for
breaching regulations that govern their operations.
The Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday
said the affected parties “did not satisfy the requirement of the Fourth Alteration
to the Constitution.”
Prior to today’s
exercise, Nigeria as Africa’s most populous nation with over 200 million people
had a total of 93 registered parties. There are only 18 parties that are
currently authorized to operate.
Details of the reasons
that led to the de-registration included:
Failure of the parties
to win at least 25% of votes cast in one state of the federation in a
presidential election or one local government of a state in a gubernatorial
vote.
Failure to win at
least one ward in a chairmanship election, a seat in the national or state
legislature, a seat in at the councillorship level.
INEC under section 225
A of the Nigerian constitution (Fourth Alteration, No. 9) Act, 2017 also
reserves the power to de-register a party over a breach of any of the
regulations for registration.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, share the state-level governance of all 36 states across the federation.
Yakubu listed the 16
lucky parties as Accord Party, Action
Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, African
Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress.
Others are All Progressives Grand Alliance,
Allied Peoples Movement, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and National
Rescue Movement. Those who also escaped deregistration are the Peoples
Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young
Progressive Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
However, one of the
parties, Action Peoples Party was “technically” not deregistered following a
court order restraining INEC from doing so pending the determination of its
case by the court. Also, the new political party, Boot Party BP which was
registered by a Court order after the 2019 general elections will continue to
exist bringing Nigeria’s registered political parties now to 18.
President Muhammadu
Buhari led the APC into office in 2015 dislodging the PDP that had government the
country for 16 years prior.
PDP produced three presidents over the period, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umar Musah Ya’Adua and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Buhari is currently in his second term having secured reelection in March 2016. His tenure ends in 2023 when next polls will be held.
