The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has opposed a move to deregister the African Democratic Congress, ADC, arguing that the application has no constitutional or legal foundation.
In a court filing obtained this week, INEC said the request failed to meet the conditions set out in the law for deregistering a political party.
The commission stressed that the power to deregister was not discretionary and could not be applied for political reasons.
According to INEC, the ADC hhad ot breached any of the rrecognised grounds for deregistration, including failing to meet electoral performance benchmarks or violating registration requirements.
“The power to deregister political parties is neither discretionary nor subject to political pressure, but strictly governed by extant laws and constitutional provisions,” the commission stated.
Analysts say INEC’s position significantly undermines the suit. As the sole regulator of political parties in Nigeria, the commission’s stance makes it unlikely the case will succeed without its support.
The filing is also being viewed as INEC drawing a line against what some see as an attempt to weaponize the judiciary for partisan gain.
“Political ambush” – Atiku’s aide
Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, called the move a deliberate attempt to weaken opposition parties.
“What we are witnessing is the unravelling of a poorly scripted political ambush designed to cripple opposition voices,” Shaibu said.
He said INEC’s intervention confirms what many Nigerians suspect about the case’s motive.
According to him, “The fact that INEC itself has come forward to puncture the legal vacuum of this application speaks volumes. It confirms what Nigerians already suspect, that this was never about law, but about intimidation.”
Shaibu added that democracy could not survive if the ruling party seeks to eliminate competition through the courts.
According to him, “No democracy survives where the ruling party seeks to eliminate competition through the back door. Nigeria is bigger than any administration, and its democratic space cannot be shrunk to accommodate political insecurity.”
The case is still before the court. Neither INEC nor the ADC has issued an official public statement at the time of filing. [Adapted from THE PUNCH]
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