The Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu, yesterday, ordered the restoration to life of seven political parties de-registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on August 18, 2011.
The seven political parties restored to life by the Appeal Court judgment are: Democratic Alternative, DA; National Action Council, NAC; National Democratic Liberty Party, NDLP; Masses Movement of Nigeria, MMN; Nigeria Peoples Congress, NPC; Nigeria Elements Progressive Party, NEPP and National Unity Party, NUP.
INEC had on August 18, 2011, de-registered the parties for failure to win any seat either in the state House of Assembly or National Assembly, pursuant to Section 78 (7) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
But an Onitsha-based human rights lawyer, Jezie Ekejiuba went to a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, to challenge the de-registeration of the parties by INEC, arguing that the action was unconstitutional.
In its judgment, the Federal High Court presided over by Justice J. Ojukwu, dismissed the suit for lack of merit, saying that INEC had the power to de-register political parties under the Nigerian constitution.
Dissatisfied by the judgment of the Federal High Court, the Plaintiff/Appellant, Ekejiuba headed to the Appellate Court to contest the verdict.
In a unanimous judgment delivered, yesterday, by Justice Tom Yakubu on behalf of other concurring judges, Justice Rita Pemu and Justice Omodere Bolaji-Yusuf, the Appeal Court set aside the lower court judgment, ordered the restoration to life of all the seven de-registered political parties and granted all the five reliefs sought by the Plaintiff/Appellant. (Vanguard)
