INEC acted within its powers to de-register political parties, court reaffirms 

For the second time in 72 hours, a federal high court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit filled by some political parties challenging the powers of the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to de-register them.

In the suit filed on February 10, 2020,  five de-registered political parties – the Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC), Liberation Movement (LM), Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD), Nigeria Community Movement Party (NCMP) and United Peoples Congress (UPC) – urged the court to reverse the action of INEC.

But in a judgement delivered on Friday, Anwuli Ichegbuo Chikere, a judge, again reaffirmed that INEC perfectly and legitimately acted within its powers to de-register the political parties along with 67 other

The five parties are among the 74 political parties de-registered by INEC on February 6, 2020, for breach of section 225A of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

This is the fifth time since June 5, 2020 that the 74 non-performing parties have failed to upturn the decision of INEC to de-register them through the courts.

Taiwo Taiwo, judge of a federal high court had dismissed two separate but similar suits filed by National Unity Party (NUP) and Hope Democratic Party (HDP).

Chikere had dismissed the suit filed by 33 political parties on the same ground as her latest judgement delivered earlier in the day.

The latest judgement is coming on the heels of the dismissal of a similar suit on Wednesday.

Nkeonye Maha, a judge, had dismissed a suit involving two political parties, the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and Reform and Advancement Party (RAP).