PDP approaches high court to stop APC convention, deregister ruling party ahead of 223

The PDP is seeking court order to stop the APC national convention, and even do worse damage to the ruling party.

The opposition party approached an Abuja high court Friday to get the ruling party deregistered ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The petitioner claims the APC as a political party fails to meet the requirements of sections 222(a), 223(b) and 225 of the 1999 Constitution.

It further asked the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognizing, communicating with, dealing with or having any business whatsoever with the APC as a registered political party.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/ 389 2022 and dated March 25, 2022, the PDP listed the INEC, APC, the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Chairman of the APC CECPC as defendants.

Samuel Irabor, who is representing the PDP, said by a certified true copy of INEC’s list of APC’s current exco, the party is been run by a 13 member exco, which is below the constitutional stipulations in Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution.

Section 223 states that the executives or governing body of a political party must be drawn from 2/3 of the 36 states of Nigeria, which is mathematically 24.

He then urged the court to declare all the prior acts of the Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee leading to the institution of the suit and all subsequent acts, including the convention of March 26, as null and void,

He also prayed the court to proceed further to order a de-registration of the APC by INEC in line with Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution.

The APC convention slaed for March 26 is already under way in Abuja.