22 political parties: ‘Supreme Court’s judgement is victory for democracy’

Stakeholders have hailed the Supreme Court’s judgement on the de-registration of 22 political parties as a victory for democracy.

The Supreme Court had earlier on Friday upheld the de-registration of 22 political parties carried out by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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The political parties were among the 74 scrapped by INEC in February 2020 following their failure to win the number of constituents prescribed by the law in the last general elections, which action was set aside by the Court of Appeal in Abuja in August 2020.

Speaking shortly after the judgment was delivered, a Constitutional lawyer, Obed Agu, said the issue of fair hearing is very fundamental in every matter in court and any trial that denies a party of fair hearing is bound to be upturned on appeal.

“Counsel to the political parties ought to have urged the Court of Appeal to allow parties to address it on the issue raised by the court on its own, knowing that a judgment of the Appeal Court on that basis can be upturned,” he said.

Also, Mr Moses Kor, the Executive Director of Credible Election Advocates, commended the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for his sanitization of the electoral process.

“With 18 parties now, Nigerians can have a wide choice to express their democratic rights yet it would not be unwieldy unlike when there were 91 political parties.

“Furthermore, with the technological innovations the Commission has made, signs are clear that the 2023 general election will be credible, free and fair,” Mr Kor added.