The 2027 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, has expressed opposition to the proposed deregistration of some political parties, saying the move raises concerns about political participation and democratic development.

Mr Adebayo, in a statement on Tuesday, said there was no constitutional or legal basis for restricting political parties’ activities through administrative or judicial action.

He said the development was concerning, coming shortly after the country marked Democracy Day with renewed commitments to democratic values and inclusion.

According to him, although the SDP is not among the parties reportedly affected, it is important to speak up on issues that could affect democratic participation.

Mr Adebayo urged Nigerians and stakeholders to support the affected parties in seeking legal redress.

He said Nigeria’s social, cultural, religious, economic and ideological diversity required a broad range of political platforms through which citizens could freely pursue their political aspirations.

Mr Adebayo also advocated constitutional reforms to remove the Independent National Electoral Commission’s powers to register or deregister political parties, saying the commission should focus on conducting free, fair and credible elections.

He proposed a system that would allow political associations to field candidates, subject to statutory deposits that could be forfeited if parties failed to secure a prescribed minimum percentage of votes.

The SDP chieftain urged political leaders to strengthen democratic institutions and avoid actions that could heighten political tension in the country.

He added that he was prepared to support the affected parties in pursuing legal remedies through constitutional means.

Mr Adebayo maintained that all eligible political parties should be allowed to participate in Nigeria’s democratic process.

The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, ordered INEC to deregister five political parties in a judgement delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in a suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators.

The affected parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The forum had asked the court to determine whether INEC had a constitutional obligation to deregister political parties that failed to meet the electoral performance thresholds stipulated in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

It argued that the requirement was further reinforced by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC regulations.

(NAN)