The African Democratic Congress has welcomed the judgement of a Federal High Court in Abuja on issues relating to deadlines for party primaries and other electoral regulations issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In a press statement released on Thursday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the court ruling as a vindication of its earlier objections to some aspects of the electoral guidelines.
According to the party, it had previously opposed the strict timelines for membership registration and the conduct of party primaries, arguing that some provisions contradicted constitutional principles.
The decision of the Court on these issues, including those that directly contradict the Constitution, is therefore a welcome vindication of our position,” the statement read.
The party further stated that the ruling removed restrictions that it claimed hindered politicians from seeking alternative political platforms to contest elections, describing the judgement as a victory for freedom of association.
The ADC also alleged that the regulation was intended to discourage defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“We believed at the time that that particular restriction was designed to prevent people from leaving the ruling party, APC. Now that the court has ruled against it, we are sure that, in the coming days, we will witness a mass exodus from the ruling party,” the statement added.
