By Gbadamosi Oladimeji
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has again reaffirmed the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to deregister political parties.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo stated this on Friday while delivering judgment in a suit filed by Hope Democratic Party against the electoral umpire.
Earlier in February, INEC deregistered some political parities in Nigeria due to their failure to win at least 25% of the votes cast in one state of the Federation in a Presidential election or 25% of the votes cast in one Local Government Area of a state in a Governorship election.
Also, 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 Councillorship election.
Justice Taiwo insisted that INEC was empowered by the Constitution to deregister parties that failed to meet the provisions of Section 225(a).
The HDP had filed the suit, asking the court to declare that INEC cannot deregister it as a political party except in accordance with the law.
It also prayed the court for an order mandating the electoral body to relist it as a political party in the country.
However, Justice Taiwo held that HDP fell short of Section 225(a) and also had nothing to show to the court that the action of INEC to deregister political party was unlawful.
Also in a judgment delivered in the suit filed by another political group which is the National Unity Party (NUP), the judge affirmed the constitutional power of the electoral Commission.
He noted that the reasons given by the Commission for the deregistration of parties were valid, in conformity with the law, and sacrosanct.
Justice Taiwo stated that such reasons could not be affected by the fact of anticipated local government elections by some states which dates were not fixed, certain, or even ascertainable.
The National Unity Party (NUP) was also one of the 74 parties deregistered by the INEC in February.
