The Supreme Court has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the go-ahead to deregister 74 political parties as they have failed to win any election after the 2019 general elections.
The Apex Court in a judgment delivered on Friday noted that the deregistration of the National Unity Party (NUP) one of the 74 parties, was done in line with the laws and compliance with the extant provisions of the Constitution and Electoral Act.
The judgment was delivered by a 7-man panel headed by Justice Chima Nweze.
By upholding the deregistration of the NUP, the apex Court in a virtual judgment, sealed the fate of the remaining 73 parties, many of whom have their appeals still pending in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
The NUP had challenged their deregistration by INEC at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal where they lost in both Courts, and the Supreme Court has, by affirming the concurrent finding of the lower courts, upheld not only the powers of INEC to deregister political parties but also that the process and procedure for the deregistration of the 74 political parties was in compliance with extant laws.
Reacting to the judgment, the President of the Inter Party Advisory Council, Dr. Leonard Nzenwa, hailed the judgment and said the judgment had ended all speculations and this will aid INEC to now focus on critical issues in preparation for delivering credible, free, and fair 2023 general election.
