Executive Director of the Emergency and Risk Alert Initiative, Gbenro Olajuyigbe, has criticised attempts to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties, comparing the development to the judicial processes that preceded the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Speaking on Vanguard Today in the News, Olajuyigbe alleged that the judiciary was being used to pursue political objectives, warning that actions capable of weakening opposition parties could pose a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
His comments followed the Court of Appeal’s decision to halt the enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
According to Olajuyigbe, the timing of the move raised serious concerns, especially as some of the affected parties are already preparing for upcoming elections.
“This was how they used the judiciary to annul June 12. They legitimised the shenanigans of Ibrahim Babangida through the Association for Better Nigeria led by Arthur Nzeribe; the similarity is so close,” he said.
He argued that if the parties had genuinely failed to meet constitutional requirements, action should have been taken immediately after the last general election rather than close to another electoral cycle.
“Even if you’re deregistering parties based on law, common sense should have told those who went to court that this thing should have been done immediately after every election, not on the eve of elections,” he stated.
Olajuyigbe warned that actions perceived as attempts to weaken opposition parties could undermine democratic principles and create unnecessary political tension.
“Opposition is the oxygen of democracy,” he said.
He also welcomed the Court of Appeal’s intervention, praising the appellate court for suspending the implementation of the judgment.
“I’m glad that the Court of Appeal called it ‘judicial rascality’ and lampooned the judgment delivered,” he added.
The Court of Appeal had ruled that the lower court acted contrary to an earlier directive ordering a suspension of proceedings and subsequently granted a stay of execution pending further legal action.
The legal battle over the status of the affected political parties is expected to continue as stakeholders await the final outcome of the case.
Source: Vanguard Today in the News Interview.
