Nigeria’s 18
remaining parties on Tuesday backed the recent de-registration of 74 political parties
by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a communique signed
at the end of an emergency meeting by the political parties under the umbrella
of Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the Council said this action of INEC
flows from the provisions of Section 225 A of the 4th Alteration No. 9 of the
1999 Constitution as amended.
“It is therefore based on the lawfulness of the action of the
Commission, the desirability of the need to sanitize the electoral space that
we the 18 political parties in Nigeria hereby endorse this bold step by INEC and
commend it for this worthy cause,” the Council said in the communique signed by
representatives of the 18 political parties. It said while the news of the
de-registration was met with mixed feelings because the 74 Political Party
chairmen who have been sacked are colleagues and allies who have in very many
cases and at various places stood up for Nigeria and defended her cause, “It is
this will to implement the law despite whose ox is gored that we require for
our nation building.”
It however said the IPAC being the vehicle through which the
political parties collectively engage with INEC and other stakeholders in the
electoral system recognizes that this sanitization also created a vacuum in the
leadership of the Council and in other to ensure the seamless contribution of
the political parties to the electoral development, the parties resolved to set
up an Interim Management Committee to run the affairs of the Council.
The communique added that the membership of the Committee
shall be drawn from only the existing political parties and shall serve pending
the time a proper election will be conducted. The Interim Management Committee
is headed by the chairman of the African Action Congress, Dr. Leonard Nzenwa
The communique said “this Interim Committee shall commence work immediately
with INEC and other stakeholders including the National Assembly with a view to
ensuring that the electoral reform processes which shall clean up our electoral
system is elaborate and conclusive.” But in a swift reaction by the ‘old’
members of executive in a telephone interview, National Treasurer of IPAC and
ANRP National Chairman, Tope Fasua, dismissed Nzenwa’s position, saying he is
just leading a faction of IPAC. “That is a faction of IPAC, it’s normal in a
political arrangement. We will ignore them, we have IPAC office, it’s either
you disregard them or take them as a faction,” Fasua said. Similarly, National
Legal Adviser of IPAC, Ezeobika Chukwudi, described Nzenwa’s pronouncement as
illegal, adding that AAC factional chairman’s position is unknown to law and
IPAC’s constitution. He said, “Such a press conference is illegal and unknown
to law. We are not aware of it. The purported meeting is illegal and unknown to
us. IPAC is still under the Chairmanship of High Chief Peter Ameh”. Efforts to
get reaction of IPAC Chairman, Peter Ameh did not succeed as calls put across
his phone did not connect as at the time of filing this report.
Source: Dailytrust