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2027: INEC must set minimum standards on party membership -IPAC
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to set minimum standards for party membership and regulate same to prevent fabrications capable of undermining nation’s democracy.
The Lagos State Public Affairs Officer of IPAC, Mr George Ashiru, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
Ashiru was reacting to the statement reportedly made by the National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Sen. Ajibola Basiru, that the party’s claim of having 45 million members in the build up to the 2023 general elections was a mere fabrication.
The APC ‘s scribe, who made the revelation at the opening session of the e-membership registration and ‘Train-the-Trainer’ workshop in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the party deployed the figure to fight causes unknown to the present leadership of the party.
He disclosed that the 2023 election where the APC presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu (now president), struggled to get less than 10 million votes exposed the fact that the claim was bogus.
While quoting the doctrine of the late Guinean nationalist, Amilcar Cabral, Basiru, emphasised that weaponisation of any political party register could only lead to corruption.
Reacting, Ashiru, the Lagos State Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), who described such fabrication as unacceptable, said that INEC must do everything possible to guard against anything that could undermine democracy
“So, it is not proper; it is not acceptable and no political party should get away with such falsehood.
“Going forward, INEC should state minimum requirements for membership. When a party states it has a particular number of members, what does it means?
“Ahead of 2027, INEC should set proper criteria so that people don’t come up with frivolous figures on membership to bamboozle voters and the nation.
“This is an opportunity to solve this once and for all, so that we really know the true level of our democracy and how many people are participating in party affairs,” Ashiru said.
He said that authentic party register remained one of the very important ingredients of democracy.
Stating that fabrication of party register and membership had been employed by big political parties, Ashiru noted that the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had also claimed to be the biggest political party in Africa without any measurable evidence.
According to him ,the implication is that membership registers some political parties submit to INEC are fake.
He said the practice should not be allowed to continue in the interest of democracy.
“That will be unfair to other political parties if there is no proper way of regulation and confirming those who truly are members of the party.
“This is an opportunity for INEC to set minimum standards on membership of political parties.
“What are they required, is it NIN? Is it BVN? All these are important to entrench democracy “ he added.
He said parties’ membership registers would determine how they were expected to raise funds for elections and how many people would vote for them. (NAN)
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.
Violent clashes between pastoralist groups and settled farming communities have long been a challenge in South Sudan.
However, the recent outbreak of violence in the northern Ruweng Administrative Area has further heightened concerns over the nation’s fragile peace. At least 30 people lost their lives after an armed youth group launched a brutal attack on a northern South Sudanese town, according to local officials.
The incident, linked to an escalating cattle raid, saw the town briefly fall under the control of the attackers before security forces regained control.
The violence began when a group of armed youth stole lambs earlier in the week. Security forces quickly intervened, forcing the raiders to retreat. However, instead of dispersing, the group reorganised and launched a more aggressive attack on Abiemnom the following day.
Local Minister of Information, Simon Chol Mialith, confirmed that despite resistance from local youth and security personnel, the town was overrun by the Mayom armed youth. The attack led to significant casualties and destruction before security forces were able to reclaim the town.
On Wednesday, the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) successfully pushed the attackers out, restoring a semblance of calm. However, the scale of the destruction was already severe, with over 40 individuals injured in addition to the fatalities.
Although reports suggest that some of the deceased were members of the armed groups, official confirmation remains pending.
The attack comes at a time of growing instability in South Sudan, with tensions between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar intensifying. This political rivalry threatens to unravel the delicate 2018 peace agreement that ended the nation’s five-year civil war.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has struggled with continuous unrest. Despite its vast oil resources, the country remains impoverished, with conflicts like these exacerbating economic and social difficulties.