Cosmas Ekpunobi
9 April 2002
HOUSE of Representatives on Monday mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to commence registration of new political parties now following last month's Supreme Court's ruling on council polls. The House in a move that may have pulled the rug off the feet of governors over the election, which they insist must hold on May 18, warned that conducting any election without first registering new parties will be illegal and unconstitutional.
Its position was contained in a four-page statement signed by the Chairman of the Committee on Information, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga. According to him, "following this (Supreme Court) landmark judgement, INEC can no longer claim that there is no law under which to register new political parties." The Lower House insisted that the authority for registering new parties with or without the coverage of an Electoral Act had been provided by the recent Supreme Court judgement on local government tenure and section 222 (A) and (B) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers INEC to do so.
Specifically, the House urged INEC to recognise forthwith the National Democratic Party (NDP) as a political party in accordance with section 74 of the Electoral Act, which provides that a political party is deemed to have been registered 30 days after it has submitted its documents to INEC.
He said section 222 of the Constitution has provided the conditions under which new political parties should be registered with INEC.
Hon. Edeoga said the House was convinced that INEC is under obligation to register new political parties without delay. The House, which described the apex court's judgement on Electoral Act, 2001 as a major step forward in the nation's democratic process, insisted that INEC should in the spirit of the ruling, commence registration of new political parties.
The House, in what may also be suggestive of no confidence vote on the three existing political parties, declared that "they were forced on us (Nigerians) by the military." "It is no secret that the three political parties do not represent all shades of political opinions in the country. "Now that we are free to form political associations, it is important to register more parties before any elections,' the statement emphasised.
It would be recalled that the apex court had about a fortnight ago decided that the National Assembly has no powers to extend the tenure of local government elected officials. The Supreme Court declared such extension null and void, thus setting the stage for fresh elections into the councils in May. Already, the governors have vowed to conduct such exercise on May 18, a position endorsed by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Currently, there are about 10 new political parties jostling for registration to join the existing PDP, All Peoples Party (APP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
Prominent among them are United Nigeria Democratic Party (UNDP), Peoples Liberation Party (PLP), United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA), the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the NDP.
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