ABUJA – The Incorporated Trustees of Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission to refrain from the conduct of the planned national convention of the Labour Party, purportedly slated for March 27, in view of a pending suit at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/301/2024, INEC is the 1st respondent, while the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa are 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents respectively.
By the suit dated March 7, the plaintiff wants an order of court directing INEC to deregister Labour Party as a political party in Nigeria, for violating some provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
But on Tuesday, Kalu Kalu Agu Esq, Solicitor to the Plaintiff, wrote a letter to INEC on the “Imperative of not Monitoring the National Convention of Labour Party fixed for March 27.
In the letter which INEC acknowledged receipt on March 26, the group insisted that the electoral body, being a party in the suit, must not do anything untoward to render a fait accompli on the court as manifest in the originating summons and other process of the Plaintiff.
“The instruction of our client is that the Labour Party, which is the 2nd Defendant in the above suit has fixed the 27th day of March, 2024 for a National Convention, an action directed at attempting to foist a fait accompli on the Court.
“The action of Labour Party is not strange to our client because the Labour Party has shown a tendency for lawlessness.
“However, it is our instruction to urge that you, as a statutory body, ought not to to the path of lawlessness.
“Accordingly, we have the instruction of our client to demand that you refrain from monitoring the purported convention” the group demanded through their lawyer.
Specifically, the plaintiff is seeking a declaration that it is illegal, unconstitutional and void for the INEC to continue to keep the name of Labour Party in the register of Political Parties in Nigeria, when it is manifest that the Labour Party is in breach of Sections 223(1(a)(2)(a) and 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
“A declaration that the Labour Party lacks the legal competence to sponsor candidate in any election being conducted by the INEC under the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022 as the Labour Party is in utter breach of Sections 223(1(a)(2)(a} and 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
The group is praying for an order compelling or directing INEC to exercise its powers under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution to deregister the Labour Party as a political party registered in Nigeria with powers to field candidates in any election being conducted by the 1st Defendant (INEC) in so far as the Labour Party is in breach of Sections 223(1(a)(2)(a) and 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
They equally seek an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from extending to the Labour Party the facilities for the fielding of any candidate for any election being conducted by INEC under the 1999 Constitution in so far as the Labour Party is in breach of Sections 223(1(a}(2}{a) and 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa (3rd and 4th Defendants respectively) from holding out themselves or allowing themselves to be held out or presented as the National Chairman of the Labour Party in so far as none of them is the product of due compliance by the Labour Party with Sections 223(1(a)(2)(a) and 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
An affidavit in support of the originating process was deposed to by one Emmannuela Alisi, a civil rights crusader and Field Operations Officer of the Plaintiff.
The deponent averred among others that it wrote to INEC on November 27, 2023, and on January 31, 2024, for a Certified True Copy of the Report of the Commission on the last National Convention of the Labour Party and list of the elected National Officers of the Labour Party.
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