INEC empowered to deregister parties – Ekweremadu

Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the constitutional backing to deregister political parties, if proven to have performed poorly at elections.

The commission had deregistered 74 political parties, bringing the total number of parties in Nigeria to 18.

INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu said the action followed the paties’ poor performance in the 2019 general elections and court-ordered re-run polls that arose from litigations as well as the parties’ failure to win at least one seat in the last general elections.

INEC had, in 2012, under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega, deregistered 28 political parties for similar reasons.

Ekweremadu, who spoke on Friday during his appearance on Channels TV’s programme: Hard Copy, said the electoral umpire has the power to deregister political parties for a number of reasons.

The senator representing Enugu West for the fifth time explained that a political party must secure at least 25 per cent of votes cast in a state for a presidential election.

He said the same requirements go for the governorship election that a party must win 25 per cent of votes in every local government.

“Yes, I understood that they went to court for an induction to restrain INEC from deregistering those political parties. Well, I think they are just buying time.

“The Constitution has been amended; probably, they did not have the opportunity of going through what the law says before they went to court, or their lawyers did not advise them properly.

“We amended the Constitution and the President signed it into law, empowering INEC to deregister political parties on a number of reasons, one which is that a party fails to meet a condition upon which you were registered in the first place.
“So, if they say a party is to maintain an office in five places and the party could only maintain only one, then INEC says that since we cannot see the remaining four, you can go.

“But if you decide to run for a presidential election as a political party and you did not make 25 per cent in one state, then you are gone.

“And you decide to run for governorship and do not make 25 per cent in any local government in that state, then INEC can decide to deregister you (party).

“If a party wants to run for a legislative election, either the state or National Assembly and a party refuses to win a seat, of course, they can deregister the party.

“Let us now say the local government elections, and a party fails to win a council seat. INEC can also deregister such a party. The law is clear,” he said.
Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu is expected to re-present his Bill on State Policing tomorrow, The Nation learnt yesterday.

Ekweremadu had presented a similar Bill during the Eighth Senate, which did not sail through.

The Bill, according to the Enugu West senator, seeks to establish the Federal Police, State Police, National Police Service Commission, National Police Council, as well as State Police Service Commission for the states.

According to excerpts from the Bill sighted by our reporter in Abuja, the Federal Police shall be “responsible for the maintenance of public security, preservation of public order and security of persons and property throughout the federation to the extent provided for under the Constitution or by an Act of the National Assembly”.
Also, the State Police “shall be organised and administered in accordance with such provisions as may be prescribed by a Law of the House of Assembly of a state subject to the framework and guidelines established by an Act of the National Assembly”.

The Bill also stipulates how the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) is to be constituted.

It says the commission shall comprise a chairman to be appointed by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate, two members representing the National Human Rights Commission and one representative of the Public Complaints Commission.

Others include a representative of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to be appointed by the President of the NLC and six retired police officers not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) representing each of the geo-political zones of the country to be appointed by the President subject to confirmation of the Senate.

A representative of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to be appointed by the President of the NBA; a representative of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to be appointed by the President of the NUJ and the Attorney General of each of the states of the federation shall also be members of the commission.

Besides, the Bill provides that the NPSC shall be responsible for the appointment of persons to offices – other than office of the Inspector-General of Police – in the Federal Police.

(Credit: The Nation)