Federal High Court affirms INEC’s de-registration of 32 political parties in Nigeria

A federal high court in Abuja has affirmed the deregistration of 32 political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

In a judgment delivered on Thursday, 11 of June 2020 by Anwuli Chikere. The Judge dismissed the suit filed by the parties against INEC on the grounds that they failed to prove their case.

NewsWireNGR recalls that Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, on February 6, 2020, deregistered 74 political parties.

Citing, section 225A of the 1999 constitution (as amended) which include: ”Failure to win at least 25 percent of the votes cast in one state in a presidential election or 25 percent of the votes cast in one local government area, and 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 councilorship election”.

In a joint suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/444/2019, the aggrieved partied has approached the court asking to determine whether INEC has the constitutional power to deregister them.