INEC Rescues ADC, Cites Constitutional Requirements To Fault Party’s Deregisteration Bid
By Rotela Oguns
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has come to the rescue of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by opposing a deregisteration bid launched against the opposition party.
The deregisteration bid was initiated by the Incorporated Trustees of National Forum of Former Legislators through a court order.
Meanwhile, the electoral body mounted a defence for the ADC by stressing that the plaintiff’s application failed to meet the basic constitutional requirements.
According to INEC, the deregistration of any political party is governed by extant laws and constitutional provisions, and not subject to political pressure.
The peoplestemplate had reported that on April 30, the supreme court ordered David Mark, the factional chairman of the ADC, and Nafiu Bala, former national vice-chairman of the party, to return to the federal high court for the hearing and determination of issues arising from the leadership dispute within the party.
However, while the party was grappling with its leadership crisis, the coalition movement began to unravel by witnessing mass exodus of members to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The mass exodus was sparked by the defection of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano to the NDC.
