Leadership of the African People’s Congress, a proposed political party, have asked an Abuja Federal High Court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from registering any
other association having the acronym ‘APC’ as a political party.
Claiming that the association had met all the conditions for registration as a political party, they asked the court to order the commission to register it immediately.
The plaintiffs, led by the party’s acting National Chairman, Chief O. M. Ikeagwuonu, sought an order in a motion ex parte they brought pursuant to Order 34 Rules 3 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2009.
Our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday obtained a copy of the motion dated last April 5, and filed on April 9.
INEC is the sole defendant in the suit, filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by Mr. Ededem Ani of the chambers of Awa Kalu (SAN), and associates.
In the application, the APC members asked the court to grant them leave to apply for a judicial review of INEC’s refusal to register the association as a political party.
The plaintiffs sought among other reliefs “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from registering any other association known as and called African People’s Congress or having the acronym APC as a political party”.
They prayed for a declaration that INEC lacked the discretion or had no power to refuse to register an association as a political party once it had met the conditions stipulated by the electoral commission for such registration.
They also asked for “an order commanding/directing” INEC to register the association as a political party.
Stating the grounds upon which they were seeking the reliefs, the plaintiffs averred that they had met all the conditions outlined by INEC for the registration of a political party.
In an affidavit, supporting the application, Ikeagwonu, averred that the association initiated moves to enable its registration as a political party, and in furtherance of the initiative, submitted relevant documents to INEC.
The documents, which he said would be relied on in the suit, includes an official receipt No. 085003 dated 04-03-2013, for the payment for registration as a political party in the sum of N100,000, as well as official receipt No. 085101, dated 08-03-2013, for payment for registration as a political party in the sum of N900,000.
Claiming that the association had met all the conditions for registration as a political party, they asked the court to order the commission to register it immediately.
The plaintiffs, led by the party’s acting National Chairman, Chief O. M. Ikeagwuonu, sought an order in a motion ex parte they brought pursuant to Order 34 Rules 3 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2009.
Our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday obtained a copy of the motion dated last April 5, and filed on April 9.
INEC is the sole defendant in the suit, filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by Mr. Ededem Ani of the chambers of Awa Kalu (SAN), and associates.
In the application, the APC members asked the court to grant them leave to apply for a judicial review of INEC’s refusal to register the association as a political party.
The plaintiffs sought among other reliefs “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from registering any other association known as and called African People’s Congress or having the acronym APC as a political party”.
They prayed for a declaration that INEC lacked the discretion or had no power to refuse to register an association as a political party once it had met the conditions stipulated by the electoral commission for such registration.
They also asked for “an order commanding/directing” INEC to register the association as a political party.
Stating the grounds upon which they were seeking the reliefs, the plaintiffs averred that they had met all the conditions outlined by INEC for the registration of a political party.
In an affidavit, supporting the application, Ikeagwonu, averred that the association initiated moves to enable its registration as a political party, and in furtherance of the initiative, submitted relevant documents to INEC.
The documents, which he said would be relied on in the suit, includes an official receipt No. 085003 dated 04-03-2013, for the payment for registration as a political party in the sum of N100,000, as well as official receipt No. 085101, dated 08-03-2013, for payment for registration as a political party in the sum of N900,000.
