Some de-registered political parties hinted on Monday that they were making plans to seek re-registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest the upcoming general elections in 2015.
Some officials of the affected parties told the News Agency of Nigeria in separate interviews in Lagos that a lack of finance was, however, hampering their plans.
NAN recalls that INEC had in March said that deregistered political parties could not field candidate for the general elections in 2015, unless they sought re-registration.
The commission spoke through its National Commissioner in charge of the South West, Prof. Lai Olurode.
Olurode said that there was no law preventing such political parties from reapplying to be re-registered, provided they met the requirements.
A former National Chairman of the African Renaissance Party, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, said there was no way parties that were not recognised by INEC could field candidates in elections.
Ndu said: “There is no way going by the laws of Nigeria today that a party that INEC does not recognise can field candidates in elections to be conducted by the same INEC.
“So we are making moves to reapply for re-registration but what is holding us is money.
“What we paid before when we registered was N100,000 but now they say it is N 1 million and such amount is not so easy to come by.”
A former National Publicity Secretary of the Democratic People’s Alliance, Sam Onimisi, said his party had sought for re-registration but did not succeed.
Onimisi said: “We sought for new registration under the name of Democratic People’s Congress, unfortunately INEC messed us up.
“However, a judgment was granted to deregistered political parties nullifying the action of INEC, so as it is they might be compelled by court to allow us continue as we were before.”
On his part, a former National Chairman of the National Majority Democratic Party, Dr. Solomon Akpona, told NAN that his party did not need to apply for fresh registration, following a court ruling.
Akpona said: “We do not need to reapply because we have gone to court and we won the case.
“So INEC should respect the ruling by the court of law.
“Following that ruling, we will not fail to field candidates in 2015.”
Similalrly, a former Lagos State Chairman of the Justice Party, Ayo Akintayo, said that his party was not thinking about reapplying but realigning with another political party for 2015.
Akintayo said: “We are trying to think of realignment since we are not strong enough to win elections.
“We have started talking with a powerful social group on the matter and soon we will make it public.”
NAN recalls that in July 2013, Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja in a judgement voided the decision of INEC on the de-registration of political parties.
The court ordered the electoral body to give due recognition to the parties.
It also ruled that the legislature had no power to direct INEC to de-register any political party that failed to win a seat in either the state or National Assembly elections.
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