The Independent National Electoral Commission has told the controversial African People’s Congress that it is not qualified for registration as a political party.
INEC, in a letter by its Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaugama, to the Protem Chairman of APC, Chief Onyinye Ikeagwuonu, said the party was yet to fulfill all the conditions for registration as a political party.
Specifically, INEC said APC was yet to provide it with the names and addresses of its national officers as stipulated in the conditions for registration.
Controversy had erupted over the use of the acronym APC as some opposition political parties that had come together also sought to use the acronym APC but found out that Ikeagwuonu’s group had been registered.
Ikeagwuonu followed this up with the launch of the party in Abuja about a fortnight ago.
The Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Progressives Grand Alliance and the All Nigeria Peoples Party had sought to be registered as the All Progressives Congress, with the acronym APC.
They had indeed designed their logo with the acronym.
But they were to find out another association with a similar acronym existed.
This led to a major controversy.
However, INEC on Monday said the African People’s Congress was not qualified for registration yet.
The letter by Kaigama was titled: “Re-Application for Registration as a political party.”
It reads: “Your application for registration as a political party dated 28th February, 2013 refers. The Commission has observed that your association is in breach of Section 222 (a) of the Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which stipulates as follows:
“No association by whatever name called shall function as a political party unless the names and addresses of its national officers are registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission. A close observation of your submitted form PA 1 established that it does not contain the addresses of your national officers as stipulated in the provisions above.
“Consequently, the commission shall not register the proposed African Peoples Congress (APC) as a political party.”
Ikeagwuonu has, however, described INEC’s new position as “a rape of our democracy which we in APC would resist with everything we have got.”
He said INEC was about to bow to pressure from a Lagos mafia.
He said the decision to deny his party registration was a “black market transaction.”
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