The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to obey the Court of Appeal judgment ordering it to re-list 22 political parties it deregistered on 6th February 2020 and stop wasting tax payers’ funds on appealing the judgment.
The five-man panel led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem in its unanimous judgment, voided the deregistration of the parties and declared that, “A constitutional violation, particularly by public or statutory authority, should not be allowed to survive even for a second for any reason.”
CUPP in a press statement signed by its Chairman, Contact and Mobilisation, Rev. Olusegun Peters, said: “It is this unambiguous judgment of the Court of Appeal that INEC wants to rush and appeal, forgetting that it is heavily funded by Nigerians who are already over taxed and crying for tax reliefs and palliatives from government amidst COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and economic hardship.”
The Coalition therefore called on INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu to comply with the court order by re-listing the affected political parties in the interest of the nation and sustainable democracy in Nigeria.
CUPP also noted that the era of impunity was gone, stating that, “As a responsible government agency, if INEC wants to appeal, it should first obey a clear judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.”
“This is the essence of the rule of law and social justice as provided in the 1999 Constitution as amended and the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. Anything short of this is justice juxtaposed and unacceptable.”
