APC versus APC - New Party Registration gets into Warfare

AS controversies over registration of new parties deepen, there are strong indications that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is in a fix as to how to handle the many claims to the acronym, APC.

This is coming as the leaders of the All Progressive Congress have selected a date for their national ratification convention, which is a key condition for registration with the commission.

Meanwhile, the African Progressive Congress has also declined to comment on allegation by some civil society group activists that INEC filled the registration form on behalf of the party.

Its acting National Secretary, Sa’id Balogun, said INEC was in a better position to react to the allegations.

But the African Progressive Congress responded to allegations by a coalition of civil society groups that discrepancies exist in the registration forms it submitted to INEC, declaring that all its forms and submission complied with the law.

In a statement signed by Balogun, the APC said “those contesting the dates of application and submission of our form, the authenticity of form PA.1 and the affixing of logo are ignorant of procedures for filling of registration with INEC.

“As for the authenticity of the Form PA.1, that is left for INEC to assess, but we must inform you that what we should have gotten from INEC is 35 copies of the form, but INEC gave us 20 and told us to photocopy the rest and we went the colour way,” the group said.

He explained further that “the form PA.1 is an application letter which (sic) its legality is backed by the affidavit which is sworn to by the National Chairman as required by INEC,” adding that “ it is left for INEC to also judge in this matter and not the merger group that seeks, as pathetic, as it seems, to always arrogate to itself, a judge in its own case.

“It is a pity that the loud-mouthed merger group has met a superior force in the APC, a force which cannot be intimidated or distracted. The constitutional requirement has been completed and no roadside activism and paid activism can stop the APC from participating in 2015 general elections,” Balogun said.

The party further alerted Nigerians to the “scheming and manipulations of the merger party which are not limited to smuggling in a back-dated application letter into INEC same way they have free access to INEC documents submitted by our party. Nigerian Tribune