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), the Labour Party (LP) and other political parties.
He made the statement, Wednesday, while addressing Newsmen shortly after the Federal High Court in Abuja fixed March 24 for ruling on a joinder application in a suit seeking to compel the deregistration of the ADC, Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Action Alliance (AA) over alleged non-,compliance with constitutional requirements.
He explained that the plaintiffs approached the court to seek clarification and interpretation of certain sections of the Constitution as they relate to the regulation of political parties.
Igbokwe explained the intention is to contribute to the enrichment and expansion of the nation’s electoral jurisprudence.
He said INEC should be proactive in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities.
“We operate a constitutional democracy in which every entity, body and authority is expected to act in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution
“As a country governed by the rule of law, we are concerned that INEC appears to be selective in applying the law to political parties. If the law was applied five years ago in 2021 when 74 political parties were deregistered, why is it not being applied now?, he asked.
“So we expect that at the end of the day, the court has to decide one way or the other, if acted beautifully or otherwise. But we are happy that this is really going to enrich our electoral jurisprudence, that is why we are in court,” he said.
