The dates September 19th 2020 and October 1oth 2020 have been choosen by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the holding of the 2020 Governorship election in Edo and Ondo state respectively.

This was disclosed at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, February 6.

The Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, while briefing newsmen, also disclosed that the Commission has deregistered 74 political parties, this suggest that only eighteen political parties survived the deregistration process.

Read the full briefing by the INEC boss below:

MEDIA BRIEFING BY THE CHAIRMAN, INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC), PROFESSOR MAHMOOD YAKUBU, ON THE STATUS OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND CONDUCT OF SOME OFF-SEASON AND BYE-ELECTIONS HELD AT THE CONFERENCE ROOM, INEC HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA, ON THURSDAY 6^TH FEBRUARY 2020

Honourable National Commissioners

Senior officials of the Commission

The media

Ladies and gentlemen

On behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I warmly welcome you to this briefing. The purpose is to convey to Nigerians the decision of the Commission on the status of political parties.

Similarly, the Commission has fixed the dates for the end-of-tenure Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States as well as bye-elections to fill vacancies in some States of the Federation.

Status of Political Parties

You will recall that prior to the 2019 general election, Nigeria had 91 political parties. One more party was registered by court order after the election, making a total of 92 political parties. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) vests in INEC the power to register and regulate the activities of political parties.

You will also recall that in 2018, the Constitution was amended. In addition to the extant provision for the registration of political parties, the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution (Section 225A) empowers the Commission to deregister political parties.

Prior to the Fourth Alteration, the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) had provided for the deregistration of political parties. Based on this provision, the Commission, between 2011 and 2013, deregistered 39 political parties.

However, several of the parties challenged the power of INEC to deregister them, particularly on the ground that the Electoral Act is inferior to the Constitution and that deregistration infringed their fundamental rights under the same Constitution.

Subsequently, the courts ordered the Commission to reinstate the parties. It was for this reason that the National Assembly amended the Constitution to empower the Commission to deregister political parties on the following grounds:

Breach of any of the requirements for registration as a political party.

Failure to win at least 25% of the votes cast in one State of the Federation in a Presidential election or 25% of the votes cast in one Local Government Area of a State in a Governorship election.

Failure to win at least one ward in a Chairmanship election, one seat in the National or State Assembly election or one seat in a Councillorship election.

In order to implement the provision of the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution, the Commission carried out an assessment of political parties to determine compliance with the requirements for their registration.

Similarly, following the conclusion of the 2019 general election, including court-ordered re-run elections arising from litigations, the Commission was able to determine the performance of political parties in the elections.

In addition, they were also assessed on the basis of their performance in the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which coincided with the 2019 general election.

It should be noted that the FCT is the only part of the country where INEC is empowered by the Constitution to conduct Local Government elections.

Consequently, the Commission has determined that sixteen (16) political parties have fulfilled the requirements for existence based on Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as follows:

S/No.	NAME OF PARTY	ACRONYM
1.	Accord Party	A
2.	Action Alliance	AA
3.	African Action Congress	AAC
4.	African Democratic Congress	ADC
5.	African Democratic Party	ADP
6.	All Progressives Congress	APC
7.	All Progressives Grand Alliance	APGA
8.	Allied Peoples Movement	APM
9.	Labour Party	LP
10.	New Nigeria Peoples Party	NNPP
11.	National Rescue Movement	NRM
12.	Peoples Democratic Party	PDP
13.	Peoples Redemption Party	PRP
14.	Social Democratic Party	SDP
15.	Young Progressive Party	YPP
16.	Zenith Labour Party	ZLP

Seventy-five (75) political parties did not satisfy the requirements of the Fourth Alteration to the Constitution. However, one of the political parties, the Action Peoples Party (APP), filed a suit in court and obtained an order restraining the Commission from deregistering it. Consequently, the party remains registered pending the determination of the case by the court.

The new political party, Boot Party (BP), registered by court order after the 2019 general election will also continue to exist.

Accordingly, seventy-four (74) political parties are hereby deregistered. With this development, Nigeria now has eighteen (18) registered political parties. The list of the parties will be shared with you at this briefing and will also be available on our website and social media platforms shortly.

Edo and Ondo Governorship Elections

The tenure of the Governors of Edo and Ondo States will end on 12^th November 2020 and 24^th February 2021 respectively. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 178(2) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 25(8) of the Electoral Act 2010, elections cannot hold earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of an incumbent Governor.

Accordingly, the Commission has fixed Saturday 19^th September 2020 as the date for the Governorship election in Edo State and Saturday 10^th October 2020 for Ondo State. Detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the two elections will be published on our website and social media platforms shortly.

Similarly, the Commission is conducting bye-elections in three (3) constituencies as a result of the deaths of some serving members of the National and State Assemblies. The Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives has declared a vacancy in Magama/Rijau Federal Constituency of Niger State.

Similarly, the Honourable Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly has declared a vacancy in Patigi State Constituency while the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly has declared the Kebbe State Constituency vacant.

These bye-elections will hold simultaneously in the three (3) States of the Federation on Saturday 14^th March 2020. Again, the detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities will be published on our website and social media platforms shortly.

On this note, let me reiterate the resolve the Commission to stand firm against acts capable of disrupting the elections. As we are all aware, election is a process. However, the process does not begin and end with Election Day activities.

The conduct of party primaries, nomination of candidates, electioneering campaigns and the submission of the list of polling agents are also essential to the electoral process. Above all, good behaviour by all officials and actors involved is crucial for success.

I wish to remind all parties and candidates that violence during party primaries and electioneering campaigns, the snatching of election materials or the deployment of thugs against INEC officials, observers, the media and unarmed security personnel at polling units are acts punishable under our electoral laws.

Already, the political atmosphere in a particular State is charged. No one should regard the release of the Timetable for the elections as a signal to further escalate tension or a call to commence the recruitment of goons and arming of thugs and hoodlums.

I thank you all and God bless.

LIST OF DE-REGISTERED POLITICAL PARTIES

S/NO.	NAME OF PARTY	ACRONYM
1.	ADVANCED ALLIED PARTY	AAP
2.	ALL BLENDING PARTY	ABP
3.	ADVANCED CONGRESS OF DEMOCRATS	ACD
4.	ALLIED CONGRESS PARTY OF NIGERIA	ACPN
5.	ALLIANCE FOR DEMOCRACY	AD
6.	ALL GRASSROOTS ALLIANCE	AGA
7.	ALL GRAND ALLIANCE PARTY	AGAP
8.	ADVANCED NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY	ANDP
9.	ALLIANCE FOR NEW NIGERIA	ANN
10.	ALLIANCE NATIONAL PARTY	ANP
11.	ABUNDANT NIGERIA RENEWAL PARTY	ANRP
12.	AFRICAN PEOPLES ALLIANCE	APA
13.	ADVANCED PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE	APDA
14.	ALTERNATIVE PARTY OF NIGERIA	APN
15.	ALLIANCE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATS	ASD
16.	ALLIANCE FOR A UNITED NIGERIA	AUN
17.	BETTER NIGERIA PROGRESSIVE PARTY	BNPP
18.	CHANGE ADVOCACY PARTY	CAP
19.	COALITION FOR CHANGE	C4C
20.	CHANGE NIGERIA PARTY	CNP
21.	CONGRESS OF PATRIOTS	COP
22.	DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVE	DA
23.	DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES CONGRESS	DPC
24.	DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES PARTY	DPP
25.	FRESH DEMOCRATIC PARTY	FRESH
26.	FREEDOM AND JUSTICE PARTY	FJP
27.	GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT PARTY OF NIGERIA	GDPN
28.	GREEN PARTY OF NIGERIA	GPN
29.	HOPE DEMOCRATIC PARTY	HDP
30.	INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS	ID
31.	JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL PARTY	JMPP
32.	KOWA PARTY	KP
33.	LIBERATION MOVEMENT	LM
34.	LEGACY PARTY OF NIGERIA	LPN
35.	MASS ACTION JOINT ALLIANCE	MAJA
36.	MODERN DEMOCRATIC PARTY	MDP
37.	MASSES MOVEMENT OF NIGERIA	MMN
38.	MEGA PARTY OF NIGERIA	MPN
39.	MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION AND DEFENCE OF DEMOCRACY	MRDD
40.	NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL	NAC
41.	NIGERIA COMMUNITY MOVEMENT PARTY	NCMP
42.	NATIONAL CONSCIENCE PARTY	NCP
43.	NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PARTY	NDCP
44.	NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC LIBERTY PARTY	NDLP
45.	NIGERIA ELEMENTS PROGRESSIVE PARTY	NEPP
46.	NIGERIA FOR DEMOCRACY	NFD
47.	NEW GENERATION PARTY OF NIGERIA	NGP
48.	NATIONAL INTEREST PARTY	NIP
49.	NIGERIA PEOPLES CONGRESS	NPC
50.	NEW PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT	NPM
51.	NATIONAL UNITY PARTY	NUP
52.	PEOPLES COALITION PARTY	PCP
53.	PEOPLES FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE	PDC
54.	PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT	PDM
55.	PROGRESSIVE PEOPLES ALLIANCE	PPA
56.	PROVIDENCE PEOPLES CONGRESS	PPC
57.	PEOPLES PARTY OF NIGERIA	PPN
58.	PEOPLES PROGRESSIVE PARTY	PPP
59.	PEOPLES TRUST	PT
60.	REFORM AND ADVANCEMENT PARTY	RAP
61.	RE-BUILD NIGERIA PARTY	RBNP
62.	RESTORATION PARTY OF NIGERIA	RP
63.	SAVE NIGERIA CONGRESS	SNC
64.	SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL PARTY	SNP
65.	SOCIALIST PARTY OF NIGERIA	SPN
66.	UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY	UDP
67.	UNITED PATRIOTS	UP
68.	UNITED PEOPLES CONGRESS	UPC
69.	UNITY PARTY OF NIGERIA	UPN
70.	UNITED PROGRESSIVE PARTY	UPP
71.	WE THE PEOPLE NIGERIA	WTPN
72.	YOUNG DEMOCRATIC PARTY	YDP
73.	YES ELECTORATES SOLIDARITY	YES
74.	YOUTH PARTY	YP