Following pressure and a directive from the Supreme Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially acknowledged the Youth Party as a registered political party in Nigeria.
In a statement on Thursday, Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee at INEC, confirmed the commission’s recognition of the Youth Party. Earlier, INEC had taken steps to deregister some political parties in preparation for the 2023 general elections, including the Youth Party.
However, dissatisfied with the commission’s decision, the Youth Party, which had been registered with INEC on August 18, 2018, approached the Federal High Court and obtained an order restraining the electoral umpire from deregistering it.
INEC appealed the Federal High Court’s ruling, and the appellate court subsequently overturned the order, permitting the commission to proceed with the deregistration of the YP.
Nonetheless, the Youth Party further appealed the case to the Supreme Court, which ultimately set aside the party’s deregistration.
As a result of the Supreme Court’s judgment, INEC held discussions with Youth Party officials to determine the modalities for its operation, adhering to the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the regulations and guidelines of the commission.
Consequently, INEC has recognized the Youth Party as the 19th Political Party in Nigeria, granting the party all the rights and privileges accorded to political parties in the country.
