Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ugochinyere (APP, Imo) has warned against plots to deregister some political parties through the courts.
Speaking in a live broadcast on television on Monday, Ugochinyere specifically mentioned the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Peoples Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and other opposition platforms allegedly targeted in a suit filed by a group, Forum of Former Lawmakers.
He said the plan is to stop opposition candidates, including Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, from participating in the coming elections.
Describing the development as “an invitation to anarchy,” the lawmaker accused unnamed political actors of attempting to manipulate the judiciary to wipe opposition parties off the ballot.
“What kind of anarchy do you want this country to go through?” he thundered.
“You cannot deregister political parties a few months to elections and expect Nigerians to fold their arms. You are playing with fire.”
He warned that the alleged desperation to eliminate opposition parties could recreate the political crises that led to the collapse of Nigeria’s First and Second Republics.
Ugochinyere, however, praised the Court of Appeal for intervening to halt further proceedings in the controversial suit seeking the deregistration of political parties.
He commended Justices Danjuma, Banjoko and Onyewunmi for granting a stay of proceedings against Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court, whom he accused of handling the matter in a manner that raised “serious suspicion and concern.”
He alleged that despite existing constitutional provisions and previous court judgments affirming that political parties cannot be deregistered once they have won at least one elective seat, the case was still being aggressively pursued.
Citing Section 225A of the Nigerian Constitution, he argued that parties like ADC, Accord and APP had already fulfilled constitutional requirements by winning elective positions, including councillorship seats.
“The Constitution is clear. Once a party wins even one council seat, deregistration does not arise,” he stated.
He further cited judgments from Federal High Courts in Uyo and Awka, as well as decisions of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed that parties meeting the constitutional threshold cannot be deregistered.
On the controversy surrounding the electoral timetable, Ugochinyere urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to appeal a recent Federal High Court judgment that adjusted aspects of the electoral timetable to allow broader political participation.
He praised Justice M.G. Umar for what he called a “courageous constitutional interpretation” that promotes inclusiveness in the democratic process.
According to him, any appeal by INEC would create uncertainty, destabilise the political atmosphere and damage public confidence in the electoral process.
“The country cannot afford confusion at this critical moment,” he warned.
“Appealing this judgment will create tension, uncertainty and doubts about the credibility of the elections.”
