Notwithstanding that the convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently being held today in Abuja, it has been confirmed that the leading opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party has taken formal steps to ensure INEC delists the ruling party ahead of 2023 elections.

If INEC does this, PDP will not have any serious Opponent in 2023 elections.

PDP reportedly instituted a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, on the eve of APC’s convention, seeking among other things, a declaration that the proposed national convention is illegal.

The PDP also wants the court to issue an order de-registering the APC as a political party on the grounds that it allegedly failed to meet the requirements of sections 222 (a), 223(b) and 225 of the Constitution.

In a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/389/2022 and filed for the PDP by its lawyer, Samuel Irabor, the party argued that by a certified true copy of the list of APC’s current leadership it obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party (APC) is being run by a 13-member Executive Committee, whose members fall bellow the number stipulated in Section 223 of the Constitution.

The PDP, in the suit filed on Friday, March 25, 2022, argued that by the provision of the Constitution, a political party’s Exco or Governing body must be drawn from 2/3 of the 36 states of the federation which amounts to 24 members.

Listed as defendants in the case are INEC, the APC, its Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and the National Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.

The PDP is also praying the court to declare all prior acts and decisions of the Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC before the institution of the suit as well as all subsequent acts, including the convention of March 26 as null and void and proceed further to order a de-registration of the APC by INEC in line with Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution as amended.