By EMMANUEL OLONIRUHA

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately comply with various subsisting court judgments affirming the legitimacy of its leadership structure or face massive nationwide protests.

The party’s factional National Chairman, Mr Agbo Major, made the call at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

Major said that the briefing had become necessary in order to defend Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law and the integrity of the electoral system.

According to him, in spite of the clear judicial pronouncements, the top management of INEC has continued to accord recognition to the then Dr Ajuji Ahmed group and now Bala Mohammed-led group which he described as an expelled faction of the party.

He described the commission’s actions as a threat to democratic values.

Reviewing the legal battles that had engulfed NNPP over the last three-and-a-half years, Major explained that four separate judgments had progressively settled the leadership crisis.

He stated that after an initial Abuja court ruling which described the crisis as an internal affair, a subsequent judgment by an Abia High Court gave a definite order reverting the party’s leadership to the Board of Trustees (BOT), led by Dr Boniface Aniebonam, with mandates to activate all other party organs.

He added that following successful ward, local government and zonal congresses, an FCT High Court also affirmed the party’s processes.

Major noted that due to INEC’s prolonged delay in implementing the judgment, the faction secured a mandamus order directing the electoral umpire to upload the Major-led National Working Committee (NWC) within 72 hours and file an affidavit of compliance within 14 days.

“Furthermore, the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri upheld the Abia High Court judgment that it was improper for a judge to reverse his own judgment,” he said.

He expressed deep concern that despite those lawful orders, INEC had failed to comply, three months after the mandamus order was issued.

Major called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to immediately comply with the those court orders or resign his position.

Alleging bias, deliberate procrastination and attempt to destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, Major warned that the faction would soon organise a nationwide protest if INEC failed to immediately recognise his leadership.

He said that a notice of appeal from the expelled group did not amount to a stay of execution and shouldn’t be honoured by a law-abiding regulatory body.

He noted that contempt proceedings (Form 48 and Form 49) against the commission are ongoing and had been rescheduled for June 30.

Responding to questions on the timeline for the 2027 general elections, he stated that it had consistently submitted its schedule of activities, membership register and records of primaries to INEC through its counsel.

Major warned that if INEC continued to shut them out of official recognition, they would have no choice but to return to the court to seek an abridgment of time or a complete shift of the general elections, to ensure that their candidates were not unlawfully excluded.

Major called on members of the international and diplomatic communities, civil society organisations and the Nigerian public to intervene and save the nation’s democracy from what he called regulatory overreach.

The NNPP National Auditor, Olayinka Dada, also said that the party was not in coalition or alliance with any political party for the 2027 presidential election.

Dada said that NNPP, under the leadership of Major, would present candidate for the presidential election as credible alternative for citizens to make their choice.(NAN)

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