Ahead of the 2015 general elections, the Democratic People’s Congress has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged failure of the electoral body to register the association as a political party.
Lawyer to the plaintiffs, Mr Ezekiel Ofou, in an originating summon, asked the court to determine, whether it was right for INEC in the conduct of its statutory and constitutional duty to neglect, refuse and fail to register the plaintiff’s association, having satisfied all requirements for registration as a political party as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution and the 2010 Electoral Act.
Reverend Olusegun Peters and 4 others, who are the plaintiffs, are praying the court for a declaration that the refusal of the defendants to register their association as a political party was wrong, unjust, unreasonable, discriminatory, unfair and unconstitutional.
They also want the court to declare that the plaintiff’s association is statutorily deemed to have been registered as a political party pursuant to Section 48 Sub-Section 4 of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended.
Presiding Judge, Gabriel Kolawole, subsequently adjourned the suit to April 2 for hearing.
