62 parties to sue INEC over deregistration in Bayelsa

No FEWER than 62 political parties in Bayelsa State have resolved to sue the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for excluding them from the coming senatorial by-election in the state.

The parties argued that despite a Court of Appeal judgment, which held that INEC ignored due process in exercising its powers under Section 225(a) of the Constitution to de-register some parties, it went ahead to exclude them from the election.

The parties, which are among the 74 that were de-registered due to poor showing in the 2019 general elections, made this known shortly after a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Cyril Omorogbe, at the commission’s office in Yenagoa.

According to the chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), David Amabebe, the political parties have resorted to legal solutions because INEC refused to allow them to exercise their constitutional rights, notwithstanding an appeal court ruling that reversed the de-registration of 22 political parties.

“A Federal High Court in May 2020 affirmed the power of INEC to de-register political parties that failed to comply with the provisions of the law and we obeyed the judgment before appealing the case. But in August 2020, the Court of Appeal in Abuja reversed the de-registration of 22 political parties, which were among the 74 de-registered in February 2020, and INEC has refused to obey the judgment,” he said.

MEANWHILE, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State has lamented the vandalisation of its properties by hoodlums who hijacked the #EndSARS protests in Calabar.

The Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bassey Ita, stated in Calabar yesterday that the hoodlums took advantage of their visit to the Cross River State Newspaper Corporation, publishers of the Nigerian Chronicle, close to the party secretariat, to carry out the criminal act.

He said: “The #EndSARS protest in Calabar, Cross River State, took a new twist on Friday, October 23, 2020, as hoodlums raided the state secretariat of our party along Barracks Road.

“Items looted by the hoodlums include electronic gadgets, office equipment, vital documents, power generating set, and notice boards.”

He also listed the personal effects of party officials that were looted.