By Henry Umoru

Action Democratic Party, ADP, has expressed fears over the delay by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to register it and provide it with its certificate of registration.

ADP

The worry of the political group arises from the fact that its registration certificate is yet to be conveyed to it four months after the last communication from INEC. The ADP is also disturbed over the fate of its members in at least five states. The political group completed its registration procedure in July 2016 and had expected that it would have been registered by INEC within 30 days in consonance with the 2010 Electoral Act.

It was gathered weekend that INEC wrote it in February 2017, seeking an amendment to its Constitution to allow only eight year tenure for its officials in line with the 1999  Constitution.

A letter by the National Chairman of the party, Engineer Yagbaji Y. Sani, dated May 31, 2017 indicated that the party had since complied with the said INEC observation through a letter dated February 27, 2017.

The May 31 letter to the Chairman of INEc expressed fears that the fate of members of the ADP who are seeking to contest local government  elections in Lagos, Ekiti, Cross Rivers, Benue, and Plateau among others is currently in jeopardy following INEC’s delay.

The letter quoted Section 78 of the Electoral Act this: “In compliance  with the provisions of Section 78(4) of the Electoral Act 201 (As  amended) which states that a Political association that meets the  conditions stipulated in the Constitution and this Act shall be  registered commission as a political party within 30 days from the  date of receipt of the application, and if   after the 30 days such  association is not registered by the Commission unless the commission  informs the association to the contrary it shall be deemed to have  been registered.”

According to the ADP, the Commission was expected to have communicated its    position to its headquarters to enable its members plan for the forthcoming local government elections in many states.

The party has asked    INEC to immediately comply with the provisions of  Section 78 of the Electoral Act 2010 and the 1999 Constitution which  and immediately release its registration certificate.