The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, February 6, deregistered 74 political parties out of the existing 92 from participating in subsequent elections in Nigeria.
Announcing the development in Abuja at a press conference, reports that INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu revealed that the affected parties failed to meet requirements for existence based on Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The INEC chairman gave four reasons why INEC deregistered the 74 political parties leaving the numbers of registered political parties in the country to only 18.
Here are the four reasons INEC gave:
Firstly, INEC said the deregistered parties breached their requirements for registration because they failed to win at least 2596 of votes cast in one State of the federation during the Presidential election.
Secondly, the affected parties, INEC said has failed to win at least a local government in any state election since their existence.
The deregistered parties, according to INEC also failed to win at least one ward in the chairmanship elections in local governments.
Some also failed to win one seat in the National or State House of Assembly election or one seat In a Councillorshlp election since they were registered.
INEC then proceeded to say that according to Section 225A of Nigeria’s constitution, INEC has been empowered to register and deregister political parties in the country, hence the action taken.
“Accordingly, 74 political parties are hereby deregistered. With this development, Nigeria now has 18 registered political parties,” Yakubu said.