Supreme Court Okays Deregistration Of 74 Political Parties by INEC

The Supreme Court, on Friday upheld a judgment of the Court of Appeal, which okayed the deregistration of the National Unity Party (NUP) and 73 other political parties.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last year deregistered the political parties.

The electoral body cited their inability to win any election during the 2019 general elections as the reason.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro on Friday, the Supreme Court said the deregistration of NUP was done in line with the laws and in compliance with the extant provisions of the Constitution and Electoral Act.

With the latest judgment, the hope of the deregistered parties to participate in the 2023 general elections has been dashed.

In the appeal before the Supreme Court, NUP challenged their deregistration by INEC at the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal had on July 29, 2020, affirmed the powers of INEC to deregister political parties.

In the Court of Appeal unanimous judgment of a 3-man panel of the court, Justice Mohammed Idris, held that the Commission did not err in law in the deregistration of the NUP, which filed the appeal.

The appellate court upturned the judgment of Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja which had earlier in May nullified the deregistration of NUP and 73 other political parties for being in breach of section 225(a)of the Nigeria Constitution.