The Independent National Electoral Commission has described the insistence of the 20 deregistered political parties to field candidates for all future elections in the country as a “threat to public order.”
It said it would be left with no option than to report the parties to security agencies for necessary action if they failed to rescind their decision.
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, who disclosed this to our correspondent in Abuja on Friday , reminded the parties that the commission had already gone to the Court of Appeal to vacate a judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which the parties predicated their plan.
One of the parties- Fresh Democratic Party- had secured the judgment in which INEC was told that it lacked the power to deregister parties in the country.
But Idowu said, “The purported threat is a challenge to public order and is better referred to security agencies. The conclusion from the judgment in favour of the FDP is preemptive of the judicial process. INEC said it would appeal, and already has.”
He also dismissed the allegation by the parties that his boss, Prof. Attahiru Jega, was partial and as such unfit to conduct elections.
Stating that the parties were entitled to their opinions, Idowu added, “Again, opinions are subjective and difficult to be objectively engaged with.”
The PUNCH learnt that the leaders of the deregistered parties under the aegis of the Coalition of Concerned Political Parties were already warming up to present candidates for the Anambra State Governorship election on November 15 and that of Ekiti State in June next year.
A member of the coalition said, “What INEC did is unheard of; why would the commission descend on us on the grounds that we don’t have befitting national secretariats? What does that mean? If INEC says we don’t have secretariats, from where are we operating? So long as the court judgment is there, we are ready for INEC and its chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.”
The spokesperson for the coalition and National Chairman of the Peoples Progressives Party, Mr. Damian Ogbonna, had said, INEC must declare whose interest it was protecting by deliberately flouting the ruling of a court on party deregistration.
He said, “So while we wait for the processes to run their due course; we have concluded that on the strength of the nullification of the offending provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, all the political parties are back to full operations. Political parties are therefore advised to present candidates for upcoming elections, including the Anambra State governorship poll and the senatorial election in Ekiti State.
“We state for the avoidance of doubt that we have lost faith in Prof. Jega as an unbiased umpire in the political process.
“Having publicly exhibited his partiality and disdain against many political parties in the country, we believe he is no longer in a position to honorably superintend elections where the same parties are participants.
“If they refuse to obey the law as it is, then we will enforce it by ourselves and make sure that any election held by the commission without adhering to the latest court judgment is declared null and void.”
Ogbonna said there was no doubt that the court had ousted the powers of the commission to deregister parties.
He said that the action of INEC had led to the disintegration of most of the political parties whose membership had became frustrated and scattered.
The Chairman of the Progressive Action Party, Mr. Charles Nowdo, warned that having been defeated in the High court, INEC was bound by the law not to exclude the parties from elections.
He added that the commission had no excuse to continue the way it was going since funding for the elections had never been a challenge .
He alleged that INEC might be harboring a secret agenda only known to it.
“Are they the ones funding the elections or have they been told that funds to organise the elections are no longer available? The commission must explain to Nigerians what interest it is protecting in the matter”, he said.
The members of the coalition include Peoples Progressive Party, National Advance Party , New Democrat, Peoples Redemption Party, Peoples Salvation Party, Action Party of Nigeria and African Liberation Party.
Others are the Movement for Democracy and Justice, National Action Council, Better Nigeria Peoples Party, National Conscience Party , African Political System, Justice Party, Change Advocacy Party, Community Party of Nigeria and Liberal Democratic Party of Nigeria.
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