The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is set to begin deregistering a number of political parties in the country.
INEC said this is because a number of them did not get the amount of votes in the last general election, as required by law.
Nigeria had 93 political parties at the beginning of the year, but only 73 fielded presidential candidates in the general election.
As the ballots were counted in February, it was clear the battle was between two parties – the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party.
About 85 percent of the political parties were left to share just 30 thousand votes; and that is out of the 29 million votes cast.
With their poor showing, INEC has decided to unregister them in line with section 225 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The electoral commissioner has the power to do that if a party fails to win 25 percent of the votes cast in one state of the federation in a presidential election or one local government in a state governorship election or fails to win one ward in the chairmanship election or a seat in the state house of assembly or Councillor election.
The proposed move has got politicians talking.
Parties may no longer exist, if INEC goes ahead with its plan unchallenged.
