By Peter Adelowo
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reinstated its original logo on its portal after months of legal disputes over the party’s identity.
National Chairman of the party, Dr. Agbo Major, stated this during a World Press Conference in Abuja, describing the development as a major victory for the rule of law and constitutional democracy.
According to him, the restored logo, the Basket of Fruits on the Nigerian map, remains the authentic symbol of the party and has now replaced the disputed logo on the INEC portal.
“Today, I can confidently tell Nigerians that our original logo has been restored. The logo that generated controversy has been completely removed and anyone can verify this on the INEC portal,” he said.
Dr. Major explained that the party had challenged the logo change in court on the grounds that the process that led to the alteration did not comply with provisions of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
He said the court ruled in favour of the party, thereby compelling the restoration of the original logo.
“One of the issues we took before the court was the illegal change of our logo. The process did not follow due process as required by law, and the court agreed with our position,” he stated.
The NNPP chairman said the development had finally put to rest questions surrounding the identity and legitimacy of the party.
He urged party members and supporters across the country to remain united and continue mobilising at the grassroots level ahead of future political engagements.
On preparations for the forthcoming elections, Dr. Major disclosed that despite legal challenges and time constraints, the party successfully uploaded a total of 365 National Assembly candidates, including placeholders, across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He noted that the achievement was significant considering the difficulties encountered by the party in recent months.
“At the close of the exercise, we were able to upload 365 National Assembly candidates spread across the federation. This was achieved within a very short period and under difficult circumstances,” he said.
According to him, the placeholders were necessary in some constituencies pending the emergence of substantive candidates with the required capacity and commitment to contest on the party’s platform.
The NNPP national chairman further disclosed that the party had also completed arrangements for governorship and state assembly candidates in all the states of the federation.
He said reports from the party’s secretariat indicated that all the states had prospective governorship candidates as well as candidates for state legislative seats.
“As at today, all the 36 states have prospective governorship candidates and state assembly candidates. We shall provide more details after the completion of the second phase of the exercise,” he added.
Dr. Major commended members of the National Working Committee, state chairmen and party faithful for their sacrifices and dedication, describing their efforts as instrumental to the party’s progress.
He maintained that the achievements recorded by the party within a short period demonstrated its resilience and growing acceptance across the country.
The NNPP, however, faulted INEC over what it described as delays in implementing previous court judgments affecting the party.
According to Dr. Major, prompt compliance with earlier judicial pronouncements would have saved the party from some of the challenges it faced during the candidate nomination process.
“If INEC had implemented the judgments delivered several months ago, the NNPP would not have been under pressure arising from lack of time to carry out some of these activities,” he said.
He nevertheless acknowledged the three-day extension granted by the electoral commission for the upload of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
“The extension was helpful. It is better to have an additional three days than not getting any extension at all, and we appreciate that gesture,” he stated.
The NNPP chairman further disclosed that the party would seek legal interpretation from the Federal High Court on certain actions of INEC, particularly regarding the alleged failure to fully comply with previous court orders.
“In the coming weeks, we will approach the Federal High Court to seek clarification on some of the issues arising from INEC’s actions. We believe the commission should explain why certain court directives were not implemented promptly,” he said.
Dr. Major reiterated the commitment of the NNPP to democracy, constitutional order and the rule of law.
“We remain a law-abiding political party and shall continue to pursue all legitimate legal means to protect the rights of our members and supporters,” he added.
He expressed confidence that recent developments had further strengthened the party and positioned it for greater participation in Nigeria’s democratic process.
“The NNPP remains united, focused and prepared to provide Nigerians with credible leadership and a viable political alternative,” he said.
