Senator Victor Umeh, an NDC chieftain, has maintained that only duly recognized political parties can claim legal interests in matters relating to the registration of another political party.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, he argued that an unregistered association lacks the legal standing required to challenge or influence such proceedings.
The senator made the remarks while defending the legal position of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following the controversy surrounding the court’s decision to revisit the judgment that compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party.
According to Umeh, the issue before the court should have been determined based on the legal status of the parties involved. He argued that any association that has not been formally registered as a political party cannot claim that its rights have been affected by the registration of another political party.
He insisted that legal interest must arise from a recognized status under the law and not from claims made by an unregistered group.
He explained that the absence of legal recognition deprives such an association of the capacity to challenge decisions relating to political party registration.
According to him, only entities recognized within Nigeria’s electoral framework can assert enforceable rights in disputes of that nature.
The NDC chieftain further argued that the association cited in the matter was neither a registered political party nor an applicant awaiting registration before INEC. As a result, he maintained that it could not lawfully claim that the registration of the NDC had infringed upon any legal right.
Umeh also contended that the court ought to have carefully examined the legal standing of every party before entertaining arguments that could affect an already registered political party. He maintained that the absence of legal status should have resolved the issue from the outset.
He stressed that recognizing claims from an unregistered association would create uncertainty in the political process and blur the distinction between organizations recognized by law and those without formal electoral status.
According to the senator, the NDC’s registration followed a valid court order, after which the party commenced lawful political activities. He argued that those developments should not be undermined by objections raised by an association that lacked legal recognition.
Umeh concluded that the dispute should be resolved strictly in line with established legal principles governing political party registration. He maintained that only registered political parties or associations with legally recognized interests can legitimately challenge decisions affecting another political party’s registration…Discover More
