over the use of acronym ‘APC’, with its denial of African Peoples Congress registration as a political party.
African Peoples Congress is generally regarded as a spoof formed to stop the electoral commission from registering All Progressives Congress, the name of the new political party leading Nigeria opposition parties announced they will coalesced into last February.
But African Peoples Congress had forwarded application to the electoral commission to be registered as a political party soon after the merging parties announced their names.
The two parties will have APC as their acronym and INEC had indicated that it will not register parties sharing acronym. Both parties have insisted that they will not change their names with the merger APC accusing its rival of foul play.
However, African Peoples Congress which unveiled its office, motto and logo about two weeks ago in preparation for its registration by INEC got a shocker on Monday.
The electoral commission in a four-paragraph letter, signed by its secretary, Abdullahi Kaugama categorically stated that it would not “register the proposed African People’s Congress as a political party.”
In the letter, titled: Re-Application For Registration As A Political Party, the Commission said it is denying the party registration because it breached several requirements for registration as political party as stipulated in the Nigerian constitution.
“The Commission has observed that your Association is in breach of Section 222(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which stipulates as follows: ‘No Association by whatever name called shall function as a Political Party unless: (a) The names and addresses of its national officers are registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission”, said INEC.
The electoral body added that “A close observation of your submitted Form PA1 established that it does not contain the addresses of your national officers as stipulated in the above provision. Consequently, the Commission shall not register the proposed African People’s Congress as a political party.” The letter was dated March 21, 2013 and addressed to the Acting National Chairman of the association, Chief Onyinye Ikeagwuonu.
But Chief Ikeagwuonu, told journalists on Monday that members of his party are ready to drag INEC to court over the issue. “Our attention has been drawn to a desperate effort by some paid INEC officials to conclusively consummate the black market transaction we warned about last Thursday, to deny the African Peoples Congress registration, citing purported irregularities in the addresses of our national officers”, Ikwegwuonu said.
He added that he has been reliably informed that a draft letter denying APC registration is right now waiting on the table of the INEC chairman for endorsement.
Ikeagwuonu announced that his party will continue with its activities, especially its arrangements to field a candidate for the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
