Again, court dismisses suit by 32 political parties challenging their deregistration by INEC

A joint suit by 32 political parties challenging their deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday, turned out as an exercise in futility.

This followed the ruling of a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Chikere, which reaffirmed INEC’s powers to deregister political parties which do not meet the provisions of Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.

The ruling is the third time a court is giving same verdict on the matter.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo had recently in two separate rulings affirmed INEC’s deregistration of the National Unity Party (NUP) and the Hope Democratic Party (HDP).

READ ALSO: Court reaffirms INEC’s power to deregister political parties

In his ruling on the suit by the 32 political parties on Thursday, Justice Chikere held that the parties failed to state sufficient facts to support their claims while stating that where a provision of the law is unambiguous, it ought to be given its simple interpretation hence Section 225A of Constitution is clear and unambiguous and should be interpreted in support of the deregistration done by INEC.

Justice Chikere also vacated the earlier injunction granted the parties and dismissed their Suit in its entirety.

Over 70 political parties were deregistered by INEC. With the ruling on Thursday, 36 of them have had their deregistration affirmed by court rulings.

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