Relying on section 225A-Alteration 4 of the 1999 constitution as amended, which empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to deregister political parties, the Commission embarked on deregistration exercise just after the 2019 general elections. By the time it was done, 74 out of the then existing 92 political parties were deregistered.
Political parties that survived the sledge hammer are: Social Democratic Party (SDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Accord Party, (AP) Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Others include: Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Young Progressives Party and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Expectedly, INEC’s action was received with mixed reactions of both commendations and condemnations.
But one political party that seems disturbed in all of this is the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP. The worry is not entirely about how INEC stuck to their guns on the deregistration game plan but the deceit that came from the All Progressives Congress, APC after DPP threw its weight behind its victories at both the governorship and presidential poll.
In an exclusive chat with OpenLife, national vice chairman and South West chairman of DPP, Captain Tony Oyekan Aliu, ret’d explained how APC reneged on earlier promise to accommodate its members through appointments after the elections. “We supported APC’s governorship and presidential elections. Till date, they reneged on the promise they made to us. Not even one appointment has been extended to DPP. We have told our members to remain calm while we work out options in the coming elections,” Tony declared.
The 1983 retired soldier, who has been involved in wholesale farming in cocoa and palm oil, reiterated its displeasure by vowing to throw its weight behind any party that approaches it with mutually benefitting conditions. “The APC as a government is not meeting the yearnings of the people. The reasons for change of government from PDP to APC have not been validated. As a farmer, I am not getting supports from government. The government has not been able to secure the environment for business to strive. Therefore, our decisions as a party will reflect these realities as we inch towards 2023,” he vows.
About Author
