No Country in the World Deregisters Parties: Peter Ameh Commends Court of Appeal Ruling, Warns Against Conscripting Nigeria's Political Space
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has strongly defended Nigeria's multi-party democracy following a landmark Court of Appeal ruling that overturned a lower court's decision regarding the deregistration of political parties. Appearing on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily, Chief Peter Ameh, the Acting National Chairman of CUPP and two-time Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Chairman, lauded the appellate court for checking what he termed "judicial rascality."
Ameh argued that any attempt to forcibly reduce Nigeria to a two-party system mimics military-era restrictions and systematically shuts out poorer citizens, youth, and independent voices from the political arena.
The Constitutional Right to a Alternative Voices
Responding to the anchor's assertion that an endless proliferation of political parties confuses voters and clogs ballot papers, Ameh countered aggressively by citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to free association. He maintained that winning elections is not the sole purpose of a political party.
"A political party should also be there to canvas opinion, to promote communal coexistence, and to promote world peace," Ameh explained. "You don't deregister a political party because people have a reason to belong to a manifesto or a policy that aligns with their interest. This Section 225A is inimical to free speech, multi-party participation, and democracy. No country in the world deregisters political parties. It was only done in the military era."
Ameh pointed to recent political shifts where initially obscure platforms—including the Labour Party's meteoric rise with Peter Obi, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP)—gradually became formidable vehicles for major candidates. Restricting the ballot, he argued, only hands total ownership of the democratic process to wealthy political godfathers.
High Nomination Fees and "Big Boy" Politics
Ameh placed the historical blame for restrictive electoral laws on former Senate President Bukola Saraki’s constitutional review committee, claiming the political elite views smaller party managers as "irritants." He emphasized that multi-party setups are self-funded entities that do not cost the government a single naira, yet face massive institutional roadblocks, including a ₦50 million registration fee.
"Today, mainstream partisan parties charge humongous amounts of money for members to contest," Ameh noted. "How do you expect the son of a poor man to be part of this process? Multiplicity creates opportunity. I was a national chairman. I didn’t have a godfather. I didn't have anybody. I became national chairman of IPAC and I sat in the rooms where presidents sat. We must respect this opportunity."
He also dismissed claims that a long ballot sheet drastically increases election costs, stating that ballot paper procurement budgets are strictly driven by the gross number of registered voters, not the number of party logos printed on the sheet.
Unbundling an Overburdened INEC
Looking ahead, Ameh, who announced he is actively running for the Senate to represent Kogi East, detailed a structural legislative agenda aimed at reforming Nigeria's electoral framework. His primary target is the complete unbundling of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Borrowing from the landmark 2008 Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Reform Panel Report and the 2011 Justice Ahmed Lemu Report, Ameh argued that INEC is set up to fail because it is saddled with too many divergent operational tasks.
"The commission is overburdened," Ameh concluded. "In every country you go to, you cannot have your commission perform so many tasks. They are in charge of election-related offenses, delineation of constituencies, political party registration, political party regulation, and running the actual elections. Let INEC be meant for conducting elections only, so they have enough time to prepare."
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