Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, Says the constitution amendments carried out by the 8th National Assembly had substantially addressed the problem of proliferation of political parties in Nigeria.
Ekweremadu, who was also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review for 12 years, stated this in a statement signed by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu.
He expressed surprise at a recent statement credited to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Commissioner in charge of Nasarawa, Kogi, and Kwara States, Muhammed Haruna, that the electoral body lacked the powers to de-register political parties without further constitutional amendments.
The lawmaker said what INEC needed to do was to look at the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fourth Alteration, No. 9) Act published in Official Gazette No. 77 Vol. 105 to be well guided.
He insisted that the latest amendments, duly assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, spelt out various reasons that can make the electoral umpire deregister political parties.