(Breaking) Restore Deregistered Political Parties, Court Orders INEC

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to effect the restoration of three political parties which were deregistered on December 5, 2012. The affected political parties are; the Peoples Redemption Party, the Peoples Progressive Party and the Better Nigeria Progressive Party. The judge who specifically noted that the political parties were deregistered without fair hearing by the electoral body also declared as unconstitutional, invalid, null and void, the provisions of section 78(7)(ii) of the Electoral Act 2010 which the INEC relied on to deregister them. Justice Ademola, while equally voiding section 78(7)(ii) of the Electoral Act insisted that it was inconsistent with the provisions of sections 1(3), 40 and 221 to 229 of the Constitution which guarantee the rights of Nigerian citizens to freely join lawful assembly, trade unions and to belong to any political party of their choice.