Abuja: Former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Dr Adewole Adebayo, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to avoid interfering in the internal affairs of political parties. He spoke at a meeting with journalists on Friday in Abuja immediately after the Supreme Court ruling that dismissed INEC’s appeal over the SDP’s leadership change.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Adebayo emphasized that a multi-party democracy requires INEC to be impartial and not create problems for opposition parties. He noted that many crises in opposition parties result from such interference. He added that the apex court affirmed SDP’s right to manage its internal affairs, including the appointment of an acting national chairman.
Adebayo further explained that INEC initially refused to act on letters from the acting chairman, insisting on recognizing a chairman who had already been removed. ‘The courts were clear that INEC had no business interfering. Both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court dismissed their appeal,’ he stated, adding that the Supreme Court fined INEC N2 million, a cost borne by taxpayers.