PDP asks INEC to deregister ruling APC

By AKINOLA AJIBOLA 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially deregister the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It made the call in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The main opposition party also asked the electoral umpire to recall the certificate of registration of the ruling party.

It argued that it was important for INEC to follow its recommendations given that the APC no longer has operational structures, as required by law.

The PDP also called on the electoral umpire to immediately declare the seat of all members of the National Assembly elected on the platform of APC vacant.

It added that the same action must be taken against APC lawmakers at the state levels while INEC should commence the process of bye-elections to fill the seats, as required by law.

According to the opposition party, Nigerians across the country should begin to celebrate because their ‘tormentor for five years’ has finally dissolved out of the nation’s political firmament.

“The APC, being overburdened by the weight of failure, humongous corruption, as well as the plagues of economic recession, violence, killings, and hardship it has brought to our people, forcefully exited itself from the nation’s political firmament by dissolving all its national, zonal and state structures,” the statement said.

It added, “With this exit, December 8, 2020, has gone into the history of our nation as liberation day, especially given the spontaneous jubilation by Nigerians over this step towards political oblivion by a political party that has brought so much pain on them.”

The PDP also asked government agencies, civil society organizations, and the international community to immediately gazette the APC as a defunct political organisation in Nigeria.

It asked the APC leaders to get ready to answer Nigerians for their alleged misdeeds and shelve the plan of forming or joining another political party.

The statement was in reaction to the dissolution of the APC structures at the polling unit, ward, local government, zonal, and state levels.

This was part of the resolutions adopted at the virtual emergency National Executive Council meeting of the APC presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja. (Channels TV)