The attention of Youth Party has been drawn to the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (“the Commission”) on 6th February 2020, listing the names of 18 political parties as the only duly registered parties in Nigeria. This act purports to exempt Youth Party as a duly registered political party in Nigeria.

The Painful Process

Youth Party began the process to be registered as a political party in Nigeria in January 2017, a registration process that ought to have taken one month according to the Nigerian Constitution and INEC’s own published rules. For over one year, INEC frustrated that process by refusing to register the party under our chosen moniker.

The Youth Party then sued INEC to court, receiving a Judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja on 18th October 2017 instructing INEC to register us. Following the said judgement, INEC refused to register the party until 16th August 2018, just two days before the commencement of the primary elections for the 2019 electoral process.

As a result of the Commission’s delay in registering Youth Party, a good number of party members who were interested in vying for elective positions moved to other registered political parties. This delay by INEC robbed Youth Party of the opportunity to adequately prepare and participate in elections at all levels of government in Nigeria in the 2019 elections.

This is ILLEGAL

Youth Party subsequently learnt about the Commission’s intention to deregister political parties and commenced a suit against the Commission at the Federal High Court Abuja on 8th January 2020. Youth Party filed a Motion on Notice seeking to restrain the Commission from deregistering the Party. The Commission has been served with the Court Processes on 15th January 2020 and the matter is scheduled to come up on 27th February 2020.

In view of the foregoing, the act of the Commission, “deregistering” Youth Party during the pendency of the Suit is illegal. This move is aimed at restricting the democratic space by creating barriers to participation in the electoral process.

Youth Party is calling on the Commission to retrace its steps and include Youth Party in the list of registered political parties. We will be pursuing the legal process to its full conclusion. We have also begun an extensive communications campaign to ensure that the public is aware of this attempt to deny Nigerians of their rights to have choices in elections.

 We need your help…

This is one of the most important political battles for the future of Nigeria. We call on all members and supporters of Youth Party to rally together and support us at this time.

How can you help?

• Call or write to INEC and protest
• Donate so we can have the funds to fight this
• Share this across your social media channels and with friends and family

We are working hard to get Youth Party back on the registered Parties list. We have achieved so much within the little time we have been registered and with your help, we WILL get through this.

The journey to shape the future of Nigeria has only just begun.

– Youth Party