The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) held a press conference yesterday, September
16, 2014, in Lagos at the International Press Centre (IPC) to make public the
rejection of the party's application for registration by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite fulfilling all constitutional
provisions on party registration as well as the requirements set by the
electoral body. The conference was also used to announce the filling of a case
at the Federal High Court Abuja by the party to challenge the unconstitutional
action of the INEC.
The Press Conference was addressed by Segun Sango (National Chairperson),
Chinedu Bosah (National Secretary) and Basir Tanko (National Treasurer). The
press conference was anchored by Hassan Taiwo Soweto (National Youth Leader)
while in attendance were Dagga Tolar (NEC Member) as well as other party
members.
Reporters from five major national newspapers and two electronic media
(Radio and TV) covered the event.
The members of the SPN are prepared to support the legal process that has
been commenced with a series of political actions to force the INEC to reverse
its unconstitutional action and register the party.
Below is the text read by Segun Sango at the press conference:
QUEST FOR THE
REGISTRATION OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF NIGERIA (SPN)
We have invited you here today to
explain why the Socialist Party of Nigeria has begun legal action against INEC and
to protest at its refusal to issue our certificate of registration in mid-July
2014 and its subsequent decision, communicated to us on August 12, that the
SPN’s “registration is terminated”.
On 20 July, 1998, General Abdulsalam
unfolded the political agenda that formed the basis of the current civilian
dispensation which started on 29 May, 1999. The Democratic Socialist Movement
(DSM), the initiators of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), released a
public statement carried in its organ “Socialist Democracy” published in 1998. Esteemed
media practitioners, permit us to make a few quotations from the above cited
statement. “Contrary to the false claims
being made by most capitalist commentators, military apologists, men and women
of fickle memories, General Abubakar’s political agenda unfolded in his
nation-wide broadcast of 20 July, 1998 in which he shifted the handing-over
date of the military from 1st October, 1998 to 29 May, 1999 does not
in any positive sense represent a way towards genuine and lasting democracy,
especially for the working people of Nigeria.
“The
Abubakar junta’s transition programme, like those of its predecessors, can
never give birth to genuine democracy, unity and stability.
“Socialists
know very well that the prevailing mass misery in the land, in the presence of
inexhaustible resources, is not due to the fact that Nigeria is made up of
people with different tongues and cultures but primarily a by-product of the
imperialist capitalist economic relations. Under this arrangement, the economy
and people of Nigeria are held in bondage by multinational corporations just to
satisfy the whims and caprices of the capitalist elements in USA, UK, France,
Germany, Japan, etc. All what the local capitalist elites (both civilian and
military) are concerned about is how they can individually and collectively
make the best for themselves from the capitalist induced misery. They are never
and will never bother about the real development of the economy and genuine
unity amongst the diverse tribes that make up Nigeria. Only a socialist
government of the working people and the poor in general can put in place
necessary economic and political policies which can fundamentally unite and
cement the various ties of relationship amongst the various ethnic groups that
make up Nigeria”.
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| Segun Sango National Chairperson reading the text of the press conference |
Sixteen years after the return to civil
rule all of the above prognosis has been frightfully confirmed. Yes, since the
political and legal struggle inspired by late Chief Gani Fawehinmi and the NCP in
the case of Balarabe Musa & Others Vs INEC which liberalized the political
space many parties have been registered. Sadly to note however, the existence
and proliferations of these parties in no any sense offer genuine socio
economic and political opportunities for the vast majority of the working
masses and the poor because severally and collectively, all of these parties
are committed to pro-rich capitalist viewpoints.
Today, just as before the current civil
rule dispensation, only a minority layers of the working people have access to
decent living, education, healthcare, job opportunities, etc. The socio-economic
and infrastructural conditions of the country still largely remain in pitiable
conditions. For a country with stupendous natural and human resources, the vast
bulk of Nigerian people, especially the working and poor sections, do not
deserve the prevailing level of unmitigated mass misery and the prevailing
political inequities and instability. This was the central political
consideration that informed the decision of members of the Democratic Socialist
Movement (DSM) in May 2012 to openly proclaim and call on socialist activists
within the working class movement and the poor across the country to work
towards the registration of a genuine pan-Nigerian socialist party for the
defence and permanent actualization of the working peoples socio-economic needs
and political aspirations.
SPN
AND INEC
The rejection by INEC of the SPN
application for registration as a political party, (after the Association has
fully met the conditions for such purpose in the 1999 Constitution as amended
and 2010 Electoral Act as amended) represents a serious political throw back to
2002, i.e. before the Supreme Court made its pronouncement on the rules and
protocol for the transformation of political associations to political parties.
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| Chinedu Bosah fielding questions from journalists |
Unfortunately, the INEC under Prof.
Attahiru Jega’s leadership still appears trapped in the capitalist ruling
elites’ quest to undemocratically shut out the working masses and the poor from
genuine political participation.
On 9 January, 2014, the Socialist Party
of Nigeria (SPN) as a political association wrote to INEC to demand the
conditions that the association has to meet to transform into political under
the 1999 constitutions as amended. The cited letter was sent by DHL courier.
Two weeks after, when we did not get any response from INEC, we also wrote
another letter delivered by hand by an SPN member based in Abuja. On January
27, INEC eventually responded to our letter dated January 9, 2014 with a terse
response that only after the payment of a sum of N1m (One million naira) called
processing fee can our association receive the requested conditions and
information.
Consequently, members of the SPN raised
a public fund raising campaigns from members and supporters across the country
to meet the financial demand of INEC. Eventually, the SPN purchased a First
Bank cheque in the name of INEC for the requested purpose. When our member went
to submit the photocopies of the documents with which we effected payment of the
said sum of N1million, INEC officials insisted that unless the original bank
vouchers used for the said payment is produced, the requested forms by SPN
cannot be supplied. In a letter dated 24 March, 2014, the SPN complied with the
requirement of the INEC officials mentioned above. However, INEC only obliged
us with the requested forms through a letter dated 14 April, 2014 and as usual
by calling SPN officials on phone to send someone to come and collect the said
forms. This was notwithstanding the fact that we had already paid one million
naira as processing fees.
On 12 June, 2014, the SPN officially
submitted an application for registration in response to INEC letter dated 14
April, 2014. The INEC official, one P.A Enuke, who received the application
refused to issue a proper acknowledgment as specified in Section 78 (2) of the
Electoral Act as amended under a very bogus and untenable excuse. The SPN wrote
a protest letter through the INEC chairman dated 16 June, 2014 on the improper
acknowledgement of the SPN application by an INEC official.
Subsequent to the above cited protest
letter, on 2 July, 2014, INEC eventually acknowledged the receipt of the
submission of the application for the registration of the Socialist Party of
Nigeria (SPN). Again instead of putting the date of submission to 12 June,
2014, the commission put the date of submission to 13 June, 2014. The SPN state
boldly that it has no any correspondence dated 13 June, written to INEC.
In line with Section 78 (3 and 4) of the
2010 Electoral Act as amended, INEC must process an application of a political
association seeking to transform to a political party within 30 days of the
receipt of such application. According to this law, unless INEC within the said
30 days informs the association that submitted the application to transform to
a political party with reasons why it could not do so, that association has
been deemed to be registered as a political party.
Instead of obliging the SPN request,
INEC in a letter dated 31 July 2014 now wrote a letter to the SPN with an
information that it is sending a verification team to visit the proposed
headquarters of our association on 4 August 2014 to confirm the existence of
the national headquarters of the association as well as the national executive
committee reflecting federal character as required by the constitution.
The cited letter was delivered on the
evening of August 1 2014 which was a Friday, while the visitation was fixed for
the next working day which was Monday 4 August, 2014. The SPN in a letter dated
4 August, 2014 replied INEC letter dated 31 July 2014 stating that the period
for processing of SPN application has elapsed but that the National Chairperson
and National Secretary can make themselves available if need be for any
clarification on SPN application for registration. On the 4 August, 2014, five
INEC officials led by P.A. Enuke visited the SPN secretariat in Abuja and
during the visit took copious photographs of the entire premises within the
office. However, on 12 August 2014, INEC wrote SPN informing that its
“registration is terminated” on the basis of the purported refusal of our
association to allow for the verification of the claims in form PA1. In a
letter dated 22 August, 2014, the SPN wrote INEC to debunk the commission’s
erroneous claims in its letter of 12 August, 2014.
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| Basir Tanko, National Treasurer also addressing the media |
When a member of the SPN in Abuja took
the letter for submission to the INEC office, it was rejected on the ground
that INEC had stopped entertaining any issue bordering on party registration
until after the 2015 general elections. Eventually, we had to send the said
letter through a DHL courier.
Under Section 79 of the Electoral Act
2010 as amended, a political association seeking to transform into a political
party under the 1999 constitution must seek legal redress in court within 30
days if dissatisfied with the decision by the INEC to reject its application.
Consequently, the SPN on the 10 September, 2014 filed an action against INEC
rejection of its application to be registered as a political party. Attached to
this press statement is a photocopy of the processes filed at the Federal High
Court of Nigeria in the Abuja Judicial Division in suit no:
FCH/ABJ/CS/630/2014.
Finally, members and officers of the SPN
hereby pledge to doggedly continue to utilise all legal, democratic and
political means to agitate for the registration of SPN and ultimately the
socialist transformation of Nigeria that would enable Nigeria’s abundant
natural economic and human resources to be of primary benefit to the vast bulk
of Nigerians.
Thank you for listening.
Segun
Sango
National Chairperson
