The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the power of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister political parties.

Consequently, the apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-man panel of Justices, dismissed as lacking in merit, an appeal the National Unity Party, NUP, filed to challenge its deregistration by INEC.

The appellant, the National Unity Party (NUP), had filed its case to challenge the earlier July 29, 2020 verdict of the Court of Appeal upholding its deregistration by the electoral body.

It had among other things, contended that INEC’s action was arbitrary, unconstitutional and amounted to an infringement of its right as a political association.

In its lead judgement that was delivered on Friday by Justice Adamu Jauro, the Supreme Court, held that INEC acted within the law and in compliance with extant provisions of the Electoral Act.

The apex court maintained that the lower courts were right when they held that section 225(a) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, empowered INEC to deregister any political party that failed to meet the statutory threshold of the registration requirement for political parties.

It therefore dismissed NUP’s appeal and ordered parties in the matter to bear their litigation cost.