INEC de-registers 28 political parties

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last night wielded the big stick by announcing the de-registration of twenty eight political parties out of the fifty seven registered parties.

Secretary of the commission Abdullahi Haugama in a signed statement said the de-registration of the parties was in line with the powers conferred on it by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

The affected political parties which took part in the 2011 general elections but which none secured any seat are: African Liberation Party (ALP); Action Party of Nigeria (APN); African Political System (APS); Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP); Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and Community Party of Nigeria (CPN).

Also de-registered are Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA); Freedom Party of Nigeria (FPN); Fresh Democratic Party (FDP); Hope Democratic Party (HDP); Justice Party (JP); Liberal Democratic Party of Nigeria (LDPN); Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ); Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD); Nigeria Advanced Party (NAP); New Democrats (ND) and National Majority Democratic Party (NMDP).

Others were National Movement of Progressive Party (NMPP); National Reformation Party (NRP); National Solidarity Democratic Party (NSDP); Progressive Action Congress (PAC); Peoples Mandate Party (PMP); Peoples Progressive Party (PPP); Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); People’s Salvation Party (PSP); Republican Party of Nigeria (RPN); United National Party for Development (UNPD) and United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP).

Kaugama in the late night statement noted that the Commission "hereby reiterates its commitment to relating with political parties in accordance with extant laws and for the benefit of our electoral democracy'. Many prominent Nigerians including former military leader Ibrahim Babangida had advocated for the pruning of the parties to five at most.