The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that nine registered political parties have collected access codes required to upload the particulars of their candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, revealed this on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, the parties that have collected the access codes are Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), National Democratic Party (NDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

“As of close of work on Monday, nine political parties have collected the access code for the national elections,” he said.

Haruna explained that it is the responsibility of political parties participating in an election to approach the commission to obtain the codes, rather than expecting INEC to deliver them to party secretariats.

He added that anyone seeking to collect an access code on behalf of a political party must present an authorisation letter from the party leadership.

The national commissioner noted that INEC had already issued guidelines for candidate nominations and trained party officials on the process. He urged political parties to strictly comply with the guidelines and avoid delaying the submission of nomination forms.

Haruna also warned against waiting until the last minute to complete and submit nomination forms through the commission’s online portal.

“INEC has been generous by extending the deadline from the close of work to midnight of the deadline date. If any political party decides to wait until the deadline, INEC cannot be blamed for that,” Haruna said.

INEC has scheduled June 27 to July 11 for the submission of nomination forms for presidential and National Assembly candidates through its designated candidate nomination portal.

The commission also fixed July 18 to August 8 for the submission of nomination forms for governorship and State Assembly candidates, in line with its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.

Mr Elias Mbam, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation And Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), on Monday said that the review of revenue allocation formula had become necessary to reflect on the ”challenging realities” in the country.
Mbam, made this known during the Northwest Zonal Public Hearing on the Review of the Current Vertical Revenue Allocation Formula held at the Asa Pyramid Hotel, Kaduna.
He said the last review was carried out in 1992, adding that the Commission had designed processes and guidelines to ensure adequate participation of all Nigerians.
“The Commission has undertaken sensitisation visits to all the states and local governments to make sure that all Nigerians participate in the process,” Mbam added.
Mbam noted that prior to the visits, the commission placed advertisement in both print and electronic media calling for memoranda on the review of the Vertical Revenue Allocation Formula from stakeholders and the general public.
“In addition, relevant data have been collected from relevant Government Agencies while studies on fiscal matters relating to revenue allocation is being carried out by the Commission.
“This public hearing is the fifth in the series of Zonal Public Hearings as the Commission has already undertaken similar experiences in the South-West, South-South, South-East and North-Central zones,” he explained.
He further disclosed that the commission will hold similar hearing in the North-East while the grand finale will hold in Abuja.
Gov. Nasir el-Rufa’i of Kaduna, represented by his deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe while declaring the public hearing open, called for a pragmatic approach during the exercise and prayed for it’s success.
Participants include politicians, academia, women groups, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, youth groups and government officials.
Also in attendance were representatives of the Governors of; Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed the applications filed by the 32 deregistered political parties against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Anwuli Chikere, in her judgment, held that the plaintiffs failed to prove their case that the power of the electoral umpire to deregister them could not be exercisable.

INEC had, on Feb. 6, deregistered 74 political parties, leaving 18 others.

However, in a motion on notice with suit number: FHC//ABJ/ CS/444/19 between Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and 32 others Vs. Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and INEC (1st and 2nd respondents respectively) the applicants approached the court for restraining order.

Although 33 political parties filed the matter in court, two of the parties; Labour Party (LP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) were later dropped from the suit because the parties were not deregistered by INEC.

The 31 political parties, in the suit filed by their counsel, Kehinde Edun, on Oct. 30, 2019 and served on INEC on Oct. 31, 2019, after getting the hint about INEC’s plan to deregister them, had prayed the court for “an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the 2nd defendant from deregistering the plaintiffs, or any political party for that matter, pending the determination of this suit.

“And for such further order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”

They sought for the order on the grounds that “the plaintiffs as registered political parties have been carrying out their constitutional/statutory duties and functions without any funding from government.

“The plaintiffs have been canvassing for votes and nominating candidates for elections into electoral constituencies in Nigeria.”

NAN also report that on June 3, the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) had prayed the court to be joined in the suit, making the total number of the deregistered parties to be 32.

On its part, INEC, through its lawyer, Alhassan Umar, SAN, argued that it exercised the power in according with Section 225(a), (b) and (c) of the Nigerian Constitution.

It stated further that the parties failed to meet the guidelines as stipulated by the constitution as they had failed to win a seat in all the elections conducted in the country whether presidential, governorship, chairmanship or counsellorship poll.

INEC averred that Section 225(a) clearly spelt out the grounds for deregistration of political parties in the country.

Delivering the judgment on Thursday, Justice Chikere said it was clear from paragraph 36 of the plaintiffs’ application that they have participated in various elections in the country but could neither show any evidence of winning an election nor attached certificates of returns from INEC to show the seat they won.

She said the plaintiffs failed to present sufficient material facts for the court to rule in their favour.

“This court cannot manufacture evidence to advance the course of the plaintiffs. The law is that he who asserts must prove,” the judge held, quoting Section 131 of the Evidence Act.

According to the judge, Section 132 of the Evidence Act states that the burden is on him who asserts.

She said the plaintiffs were expected to succeed on the strength of their case and not on the weakness of the defence.

Justice Chikere said Section 225 (a), (b) and (c) of the amended 1999 Constitution stated that “INEC shall have power to deregister a political party for bridge of any of the requirements for registration; failure to win at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in one state of the nation in a presidential election, one local government of a state in a governorship election and failure to win at least one ward in a chairmanship election, one seat in national or state house of assembly election and one seat in counsellorship election.”

According to the judge, the section is very clear and unambiguous.

She noted that the Supreme Court had previously decided on a related case, pointing out that “it is a settled law that lower courts are bound by the previous decisions of appellant courts in construction of statutory provisions .”

Justice Chikere, therefore, affirmed the power of the INEC to deregister the 32 political parties for non compliance with the provisions of the constitution.

It would be recalled that Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, had also ruled in
favour of INEC against the National Unity Party (NUP) and Hope Democratic Party (HDP).

The affected parties are: Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), All Blending Party (ABP), All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP), Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP), Democratic People’s Congress (DPC), Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and Green Party of Nigeria (GPN).

Also on the list are Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN) and National Interest Party (NIP).

Others are the Nigeria Democratic Congress Party (NDCP), People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN), People for Democratic Change (PDC), Peoples Coalition Party (PCP), Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Red-build Nigeria Party (RBNP).

Others are Restoration Party of Nigeria (RP), United Democratic Party (UDP), United Patriot (UP), We The People Nigeria (WTPN), Young Democratic Party (YDP), Save Nigeria Congress (SNC), Change Advocacy Party (CAP), Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) and All Grassroots Alliance (AGA).

Alliance of Social Democrats (ASD), Democratic Alternative (DA), New Generation Party of Nigeria (NGP), Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA), Nigeria For Democracy (NFD) and Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN), also made the list.

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed the applications filed by the 32 deregistered political parties against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Anwuli Chikere, in her judgment, held that the plaintiffs failed to prove their case.
She then held that the electoral umpire had the power to deregister them.

INEC had, on Feb. 6, deregistered 74 political parties, leaving 18 others.

However, in a motion on notice with suit number: FHC//ABJ/ CS/444/19 between Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and 32 others Vs. Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and INEC (1st and 2nd respondents respectively) the applicants approached the court for restraining order.

Although 33 political parties filed the matter in court, two of the parties; Labour Party (LP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) were later dropped from the suit because the parties were not deregistered by INEC.

On June 3, the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) had prayed the court to be joined in the suit, making the total number of the deregistered parties to be 32.

It would be recalled that Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, had also ruled in favour of INEC against the National Unity Party (NUP) and Hope Democratic Party (HDP).

Some of the affected 32 political parties are Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) All Blending Party (ABP) All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP) Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP) Democratic People’s Congress (DPC) Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) among others.