INEC ISSUES CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION TO 21 NEW POLITICAL PARTIES.
INEC ISSUES CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION TO 21
NEW POLITICAL PARTIES.
The Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) on Wednesday in Abuja presented certificates of registration
to the 21 newly registered political parties.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
recalls that the registration of the 21 new political parties was approved by
the commission on Dec. 14, 2017, bringing the number of registered parties in
the country to 68.
The political parties are All Blending
Party (ABP), All Grassroots Alliance (AGA), Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN),
Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Coalition for Change (C4C) and Freedom
and Justice Party (FJP).
Also registered are Grassroots
Development Party of Nigeria (GDPN), Justice Must Prevail Party (JMPP), Legacy
Party of Nigeria (LPN), Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA), Modern Democratic
Party (MDP), National Interest Party (NIP), National Rescue Mission (NRM) and
New Progressive Mission (NPM).
New Progressive Movement (NPM), Nigeria
Democratic Congress Party (NDCP), People’s Alliance for National Development
and Liberty (PANDEL), People’s Trust (PT) and Providence People’s Congress
(PPC) were also registered.
Also on the list are Re-Build Nigeria
Party (RBNP), Restoration Party of Nigeria (RP) and Sustainable National Party
(SNP).
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood
Yakubu, said at the certificates presentation ceremony new parties said that
compliance with the judgment of the Federal High Court, the Commission had also
registered the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN).
“We have already issued the
Certificate of Registration to the SPN.
“The number of new political parties
has risen to 22 in addition to the 46 parties already in existence. This means
that the total number of political parties in Nigeria today stands at 68,’’ he
said.
Yakubu advised the new parties to
operate within the law at all times, as well add value to our democracy by
adhering to the tenets of democratic norms anchored on the rule of law.
“Your registration is coming close to
the 2019 general elections for which the commission has released the timetable
and schedule of activities.
“Later this year, two Governorship
elections are scheduled in Ekiti State on July 14 and Osun State on Sept. 22.
“It is of utmost importance for
political parties ensure that their respective activities are not only open and
democratic but also based on compliance with relevant provisions of your
respective Constitutions,’’ said the chairman.
Yakubu disclosed that since the
registration of the 21 new political parties, the commission had received more
90 applications from associations seeking registration as political parties.
He said that out of the 90
applications, 61 associations had failed the initial assessment of their
proposed names, logos or acronyms and had been notified.
“Twenty-five associations that passed
initial assessment have been advised to proceed to the next stage of the
registration process.
“Four associations are undergoing
preliminary assessments of the suitability of their proposed names, logos, and
acronyms.’’
He assured all associations that the
commission would continue to treat each application fairly and on its merit
consistent with the provisions of the law.
Yakubu also assured Nigerians that
INEC was capable of managing the increased numbers of registered political
parties in the country.
“The number of political parties is
good for our plural democracy. However, political parties must cooperate with
the Commission for successful elections.
“If each of the 68 political parties
in Nigeria today fields candidates for all the 1,558 constituencies to be
contested in the 2019 general elections, the commission will grapple with
105,944 candidates.
“If you consider the management and
logistics of providing ballot papers for a projected 80 million registered
voters, ad hoc staff.
“The requirements for forward and
reverse logistics, monitoring of political party primaries, electioneering
campaign, campaign finance, voter education, accreditation of national/international
observers and the media, the task is enormous.
“I wish to assure Nigerians that we
are aware of the challenges. We are also up to the task,’’ Mahmood said.
He appealed to political parties to
adhere strictly to the 2019 election timelines warning that INEC would not
hesitate to reject the submission by any party that violates the timelines.
The Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory
Council (IPAC), Alhaji Mohammed Nalado, commended INEC for registration of the
new parties while advising the new parties to play by the rule.
Responding on behalf of the newly
registered parties, the National Chairman of JPF, Breakforth Onwunbuya, also
commended INEC for approving their registration.
Onwunbuya pledged that the new
parties would contribute their quotas towards deepening of Nigerian democracy
and improving the country.