Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has strongly criticised the Federal High Court’s decision directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five political parties, describing the ruling as undemocratic and contrary to the principles of a multi-party democracy.
Reacting to the judgment on Monday via his X account, Sowore argued that it was unacceptable to deregister political parties that had already concluded their primaries and were preparing for future elections.
“It shall not stand. I totally condemn the deregistration of political parties that have already concluded their primaries and are preparing for general election. Such an action is undemocratic and unjustifiable in a multi-party democracy,” he stated.
Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, declared that Nigeria has yet to attain genuine democracy, insisting that the country is merely under civilian rule without the essential elements of democratic governance.
According to a statement issued by his media office in Abuja, Adebayo said that despite uninterrupted civilian administrations since 1999, successive governments had failed to strengthen democratic institutions, leaving the nation worse off than it was decades ago.
“Since 1993, only two things have changed — our problems have become bigger, and our democratic space has become smaller,” he said.
The SDP chieftain further warned that worsening poverty and insecurity pose serious threats to national stability if urgent measures are not taken.
“Poverty has grown and given birth to insecurity. If we fail to address both, they may eventually give rise to instability, revolution, or even genocide,” Adebayo warned.
The reactions from both opposition figures come amid growing concerns over the state of Nigeria’s democratic space and the implications of the court’s ruling on political pluralism and electoral participation.
