Court restrains INEC from deregistering 31 political parties

A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from its controversial move deregistering 31 political parties.

The presiding judge Justice Anwuli Chikere, in her ruling on Monday, said having failed to counter the application by the applicants, the affected political parties had the legal right which must be protected.

In an interlocutory motion between Advanced Congress of Democratic (ACD) and two others versus the Attorney General of the Federation and another, the applicants had on October 30, 2019, approached the court seeking protection.

INEC had earlier on February 6 deregistered 74 political parties for failing to win elections.

Chairman of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu had disclosed that the action was carried out after a review of the performance of political parties after the 2019 general elections to see which parties qualify to exists.