PDP backs deregistration of political parties

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, hailed the recent de-registration of nine political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as non-performing political parties, just as it called on the Commission to sanction its main opposition political party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

The PDP said ACN must be sanctioned for sacking elected local government officials.

In a statement, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali noted that the move by  INEC to sack the dormant parties would sanitise the nation’s political party system towards strengthening the nation’s democracy.

While commending INEC for the “vital steps it has taken to re-examine the status of political parties in the country, which led to the de-registration of some fringe associations, as an exercise that was long overdue,” the PDP called on INEC to look further and also sanction some of the other political parties whose conducts had not only been anti-democratic but also counterproductive in the nation’s march towards a stable democracy

He said: “We particularly call on INEC to take a critical look at political parties such as the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, who have consistently violated the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in states where they have been in control.

“Nigerians will recall the unconstitutional creation of local government areas in Lagos State, the illegal dissolution of elected local councils in Ekiti State and the rough hand tactics employed to destabilise the leadership of the Edo State House of Assembly.”