Seven political parties de-registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission on August 18, 2011, have been restored by the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday by Justice Tom Yakubu, the Appeal Court ordered the restoration to life of all the seven de-registered political parties.
The seven political parties are: Democratic Alternative, DA; National Action Council, NAC; National Democratic Liberty Party, NDLP; Masses Movement of Nigeria, MMN; Nigeria Peoples Congress, NPC; Nigeria Elements Progressive Party, NEPP and National Unity Party, NUP.
Human rights lawyer, Jezie Ekejiuba had taken up the case by challenging the de-registeration of the parties at the Federal High Court sitting in Awka.
The Federal High Court presided over by Justice J. Ojukwu, had dismissed the suit for lack of merit, saying that INEC had the power to de-register political parties under the Nigerian constitution. Ekejiuba then proceeded to the Appellate Court.
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