- ‘Ballots Should Not Be Crowded’ – APC Pushes INEC To Deregister ADC
- Basiru says ballot should not include nonviable parties
- Calls on INEC to enforce constitutional provisions on party status
The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ajibola Basiru, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general election.
Basiru made the call during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, where he said the ruling party does not want ballot papers crowded with what he described as nonviable political parties.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that he dismissed concerns raised by opposition figures about Nigeria drifting towards a one party state, noting that the country still has about 19 registered political parties, although not all are active or competitive.
According to him, the APC is acting within the framework of the law and has a responsibility to call on relevant institutions to enforce constitutional provisions.
“We’re calling on INEC to deregister the ADC. We don’t want the ballot papers to be clustered with unviable political parties.
“First and foremost, the All Progressives Congress is a party registered under Nigerian law, and we are bound to call attention of all institutions to comply with the law. The APC is not the one that wrote the Nigerian constitution. Nigerian constitution is very clear.
“When you have failed to get certain thresholds of electoral sensibility, such political party should be deregistered and as a political party in a contest, we don’t want our ballot papers to be clustered with irrelevant and unviable political party.
“That was the basis of our calling the attention of INEC to deregister the ADC. And I’m comforted by the fact that there are even cases in court. Personally to say that such party should be deregistered. INEC should exercise its power.
“It has been shown that more of noise than action by this so called ‘I’m political party’, particularly the so-called coalition of confusion.”
Basiru insisted that INEC should exercise its powers in line with constitutional provisions, stressing that political parties that fail to meet required electoral thresholds should not remain on the ballot.
