FEMI KUTI’S MOP, OBIDIENT PEOPLE’S PARTY, A.D.A. AMONG 130 ASSOCIATIONS THAT ARE SEEKING REGISTRATION AS POLITICAL PARTIES, INEC REVEALS
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, no fewer than 110 political associations have written the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC seeking registration as political parties.
INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this on Wednesday during the second regular consultative meeting with Media Executives in Abuja.
Among the applications are the Movement of the People MOP being promoted by Seun, son of late Afro Beats king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Others included La Riba Multipurpose Cooperative Society submitted by one Suwaiba Bello Abdullahi, with no acronym and logo; All Democratic Alliance ADA by Chief Akin Ricketts; Obidient Peoples Party by Barry Avotu Johnson and many others.
Curiously, one Malam Idris A. Abdulkarim submitted three associations for registration as political parties. They are: New Green Generation Coalition Party NGGCP, New Green Congress NGC, and, New Green Coalition Party NGGCP. While all of them have the same office address in Kubwa, Abuja, they also have the same logo.
Prof. Yakubu, who promised to follow the rules on the registration of new parties, said the commission would not favour one above the other or consider the status of the promoters.
He said, “Clearly, one of the topical issues on election administration in our country today is the status of the letters of intent we received from associations seeking registration as political parties amidst partisan insinuations in some quarters that the Commission is equivocating on the matter in a manner that compromises our independence.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. Nigerians may recall that the same unfounded accusation was made under similar circumstances in 2013 that the Commission was not keen on the proposed merger of political parties because INEC had ‘merged with the ruling party’ at the time.
“For the records, the present Commission registered the largest number of political parties in Nigeria strictly following the provision of the electoral legal framework. For the 2019 General Election, there were 91 political parties and 73 presidential candidates. The Commission was criticised in some quarters for registering too many political parties.
Vanguard
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