KOWA Party and Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, ANRP, on Friday, February 7, 2020, said they would challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in court for de-registering them.
Mark Adebayo, the acting national chairman of KOWA party, and Sesugh Akume, the national spokesperson of ANRP, said this in separate statements they issued on Friday, February 7, 2020, in Abuja.
Adebayo, in his statement issued by Adebanke Ilori, KOWA party acting national publicity secretary, said that the party had swung into immediate engagement nationwide to explore legal possibilities.
Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC on Thursday, February 6, 2020, announced that the commission had de-registered 74 out of the 92 registered political parties for failure to meet the requirements of the Fourth Alteration to the 1999 Constitution.
Adebayo said that his party and 32 others had approached the Federal High Court, Abuja in 2019, to among other things, restrain INEC from de-registering parties pending the determination of the suit.
He said the court upon hearing the Motion for an Interlocutory Injunction adjourned for ruling on February 17, 2020.
“We were shocked when the news hit the airwaves that 74 political parties have been de-registered by INEC, KOWA party inclusive.
“We are shocked at the unexpected turn of events as the party is currently preparing for its national convention.
“And we had complied with the verification exercise requested by the commission in December 2019 and had met the requirements of same.
“We won a House of Assembly seat in 2011 and a councilorship position in 2018 while maintaining our national headquarters in the FCT and state headquarters across the country,” he said.
He, however, urged members of the party and patriotic Nigerians to stand strong in the face of alleged disregard for the rule of law.
The ANRP on its part said that it had operated as a fully registered party, having met and surpassed all requirements and had conducted itself with utmost professionalism.
Akume, therefore, said that the party would challenge the “travesty” solely and along with others in the court of law.
He said that the party remained strong and committed to the values and ideals that brought it together for the rescue of Nigeria and Nigerians.
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