Sowore condemns court order deregistering ADC and four other political parties

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 election, has strongly condemned a Federal High Court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.     In a statement posted on his verified X handle on Monday, Sowore described the judgment as undemocratic and inconsistent with the principles of a multi-party democracy. He argued that it is unacceptable to deregister parties that had already conducted their primaries and were actively preparing for future elections.    “It shall not stand. I totally condemn the deregistration of political parties that have already concluded their primaries and are preparing for general elections. Such an action is undemocratic and unjustifiable in a multi-party democracy,” Sowore wrote.   The ruling was delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday. It ordered INEC to immediately deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional performance thresholds under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2022.   The suit was filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators, which argued that the affected parties did not secure the required minimum votes or win elective seats in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections.    Sowore’s reaction adds to growing criticism from opposition figures and the affected parties, many of whom have vowed to challenge the judgment at the appellate court. The development has sparked concerns about its potential impact on political pluralism ahead of the 2027 general elections.    

The African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the Federal High Court ruling that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deregister the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and four other political parties. Sowore said this on Monday in a statement posted on his verified X handle. According to him, the judgment […] ‘It won’t stand’ — Sowore blasts court’s order deregistering of ADC, other parties

Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has condemned a Federal High Court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties.   Sowore described the development as undemocratic and inconsistent with the principles of a multi-party democracy.   In a post on X on Monday, the human rights activist criticised the deregistration of political parties that had already concluded their primaries and were preparing for future elections.   “I totally condemn the deregistration of political parties that have already concluded their primaries and are preparing for general elections. Such an action is undemocratic and unjustifiable in a multi-party democracy, it shall not stand,” he wrote.   Sowore’s reaction followed a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered INEC to deregister five political parties for allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements for continued registration.   The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress, the Action Peoples Party, the Action Alliance, the Accord Party and the Zenith Labour Party.   In the judgment delivered on Monday, the court held that the parties breached provisions of Section 225 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.   The section empowers INEC to deregister political parties that fail to secure elective positions during elections at the federal, state and local government levels.   Justice Lifu ruled that the affected parties no longer met the constitutional threshold required to retain their registration and consequently directed the electoral commission to remove them from the list of recognised political parties.

In a post on X on Monday, the human rights activist criticised the deregistration of political parties that had already concluded their primaries and were preparing for future elections. The post Sowore condemns court order deregistering ADC, four other parties appeared first on Vanguard News.