NCP STATEMENT

INEC’S FALSE CLAIM OF INABILITY TO LOCATE NCP OFFICE IN ABUJA: SECRET AGENDA TO DEREGISTER POLITICAL PARTIES ON TRUMP-UP GROUNDS

What Does Guobadia Seek to Achieve?

The false claim by Guobadia’s INEC that it could not locate the registered office of 23 political parties, including that of the NCP is nothing but an attempt to establish grounds to deregister political parties in order to pave the way for the actualization of the self-perpetuation in power agenda of General Obasanjo.

Section 222 (f) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes it mandatory for a registered political party to establish its National Headquarters office in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Without satisfying this condition, no association can be constitutionally registered as a party. Similarly, the moment a party ceases to have its National Headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory, such a party can no longer lay claim to constitutional existence. This is why Guobadia’s INEC falsely published that the National Headquarters of some parties could not be traced. 

INEC’s false claim should therefore be seen as part of the inordinate goal of deregistering political parties and facilitating the establishment of a one-party dictatorship political order in Nigeria. The battle should therefore not be seen as the concern of the political parties that are being threatened alone. It is a challenge to all those who cherish living in a free, multi party society.

WHY INEC CANNOT VALIDLY AND REASONABLY CLAIM IGNORANCE OF THE NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS OF THE NCP IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

INEC cannot validly and reasonably claim ignorance of the national headquarters of the NCP in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja for the following reasons:

The National Headquarters of the NCP was registered with INEC when we completed application forms for registration as a political party in 2002. Since then, there has been no change in the address. It remains at 18, Lake City Avenue, Phase I, Low Cost Housing Estate, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

Since the NCP was registered as a political party in 2002, INEC has been communicating the NCP and inviting us to INEC-Political Parties meetings, using the same address, that is, 18, Lake City Avenue, Phase I, Low Cost Housing Estate, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

The last meeting to which INEC invited us was that of Tuesday, 2nd March 2004. That was the meeting during which representatives of about 23 political parties walked out on INEC to protest its non-recognition of the A.D. and P.A.C. at the meeting. INEC used the same address, that is, 18, Lake City Avenue, Phase I, Low Cost Housing Estate, Gwagwalada, Abuja, to invite the NCP. The undersigned represented the NCP at that meeting and INEC took down the names and addresses of parties that attended that meeting. INEC’s letter of invitation including the envelope addressed to the NCP’s National Headquarters in 18, Lake City Avenue, Phase I, Low Cost Housing Estate, Gwagwalada, Abuja, is hereby attached.

Though INEC claimed that the address of the NCP could not be located, it was the same INEC that gave NCP’s address to Adebimpe & Co., Chartered Accountants, for audit purposes.

On Monday, 15 March 2004, between the hours of 9.00am and 10.00am, Messrs Paul Akinade Adebimpe (Principal Partner) and Olugbenga E. Ajayi, representing Adebimpe & Co., Chartered Accountants, visited the NCP’s National Headquarters at 18, Lake City Avenue, Phase I, Low Cost Housing Estate, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

Messrs Adebimpe & Co., Chartered Accountants, started the auditing of NCP’s books of accounts on Monday, 22 March 2004 and is about been rounded off as at today, Thursday, 25 March 2004.

WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH INEC?

Based on the foregoing, we contend that INEC has no genuine or valid reason to claim that it could not locate NCP’s National Headquarters office in FCT, Abuja. That INEC has done so in spite of the above overwhelming evidence that it has knowledge of the unchanged address of NCP shows that INEC is merely the campaign office of the ruling party at the centre, which is hell-bent on destroying other parties for self-serving, inordinate political ambition.

Having proved, as stated above that INEC’s false claim of inability to locate the address of the NCP among 22 other parties is informed by ulterior motive, coupled with the abysmal record of a monumental rigged 2003 elections, we reiterate our call that INEC as presently composed should be disbanded. Nigeria’s democracy will undoubtedly hit the rocks if the electoral commission remains in the hands of Guobadia & Co whose hands have been incurably and terminally soiled by the rigged 2003 elections. 

Femi Aborisade

National General Secretary, NCP