Convener of the League of Northern Democrats and key promoter of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Dr. Umar Ardo, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately constricting Nigeria’s political space by refusing to register new opposition parties, warning that such actions could turn elections into mere “affirmation exercises”.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja , Ardo said INEC failed to provide any official explanation for rejecting ADA’s registration, despite the group meeting all legal and procedural requirements.
“INEC did not register any of the associations, not one,” he said, adding: “Incidentally, INEC did not issue any press release, it did not post anything on its website, because it knows that public opinion will be highly against it.”