The Abuja Division of the
Federal High Court has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, to register Socialist Party of Nigeria as a new party.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole
gave the order in a judgement on Tuesday, following an application by members
of the party.
He said the SPN had
fulfilled necessary requirements for registration and directed INEC to issue it
a certificate of registration within 30 days from the date of his judgement.
Representatives of the SPN
had approached the court after INEC terminated its registration process in
August 2014 for alleged failure to comply with verification procedures.
The plaintiffs: Segun Sango,
Chinedu Bosah, Mikaliu Mohammed, Emmanuel Adikwu, Agbebire Marcellus and Nuhu
Zira, asked the court to nullify the termination of their registration,
stressing that they had complied with necessary registration procedure
including the payment of N1 million, establishment of a headquarter in Abuja
and the creation of a National Executive Committee comprising at least 24
representatives from across the country and Abuja.
They asked the court to stop
INEC from further collecting a mandatory N1 million from parties seeking to be
registered for political activities.
The plaintiffs also demanded
a refund of the N1 million they had paid to INEC, as well as N1 million to
serve as the cost of instituting the suit.
The judge agreed with some
of the requests made by the plaintiff, namely that the registration of SPN as a
political party be restored by INEC.
Mr. Kolawole ruled that INEC
was bound by sections 78, (2) (3) and (4) to proceed with necessary steps for
the registration of a political party within the stipulated time, adding that
the electoral umpire had no right to.
Source: Lawyard
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