SDP presidential candidate faults ADC, Accord deregistration, offers legal assistance

n n

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, has condemned the proposed deregistration of some political parties, describing the move as unconstitutional, undemocratic and detrimental to Nigeria’s democratic development.

n

Adebayo, in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, argued that there was no constitutional, legal or moral basis for the suppression of political parties through government-backed judicial action.

n

His reaction follows a recent court judgment ordering the deregistration of several political parties, including the African Democratic Congress and Accord Party, a development that has sparked criticism from opposition figures and political stakeholders.

n

According to him, the timing of the development is particularly troubling as it comes barely days after Nigeria commemorated Democracy Day with public celebrations and renewed commitments to democratic governance.

n

He said, “Deregistration of political parties is a bad omen for our democracy. There is no constitutional, legal or moral basis for these alternative democratic platforms to be truncated and thwarted by the Government with the aid of a judicial decree.

n

“That this unconstitutional and plainly undemocratic order is coming up just days after we celebrated June 12 Democracy Day with a public holiday and hollow fanfare and national awards.”

n

The SDP chieftain noted that although his party was not among those reportedly affected, remaining silent in the face of what he described as injustice would amount to abandoning democratic principles.

n

He called on Nigerians and supporters of democracy to stand in solidarity with the affected parties.

n

“The fact that my political party, the SDP, is not affected by this unfortunate situation does not excuse my silence in the face of injustice.

n

“All lovers of democracy must stand strongly and solidly in solidarity with the African Democratic Congress, Action Alliance, Action People’s Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party,” he said.

n

Adebayo further pledged legal and political support to the affected parties in their efforts to challenge the deregistration order and seek restoration through lawful means.

n

The lawyer also advocated constitutional reforms to strip INEC of powers to register and deregister political parties, proposing instead a system that allows political associations to freely field candidates upon payment of statutory deposits, which would be forfeited if they fail to secure a minimum threshold of votes.

n

“I therefore offer myself to all those affected political parties to pursue justice and restoration through all legitimate means. I also include in my presidential agenda the need to defang the serpentine INEC from abusive powers and amend the Constitution to remove the powers of INEC to register political parties.

n

“All political associations should be free to nominate candidates for elections and pay a statutory monetary deposit, which any political parties that do not win 10 per cent of the votes shall lose their statutory deposit. INEC can therefore be limited to ensuring free, fair and credible elections only.

n

“We do not need more constraints and overheating the political temperature in Nigeria when we should be focusing squarely on bidding,” he said.

n n