Nigeria's supreme court has cleared the way today for more parties to contest the country's elections next year.
The court ruled some of the stringent requirements set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) when it registered six parties for the polls were unconstitutional. Five of 21 political groups barred from presidential and general elections early next year had gone to court to challenge the guidelines.
These included a requirement that a party must have offices in at least 24 of Nigeria's 36 states. "The registration of political parties in Nigeria is governed by the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," Chief Justice Muhammed Uwais said, reading a unanimous judgement of seven justices.
The constitution only requires that parties seeking to field candidates submit copies of their constitution, logo, addresses of their offices and names of key officials to INEC. INEC is already lagging badly in its preparations for Nigeria's first elections since military rule ended in 1999.
It has yet to compile a voters' register, a fact that forced it to postpone municipal polls twice this year. No new date has been set for the local elections, which must be held before presidential and general elections. Jubilant party leaders hailed the court's ruling.
"Now that the impediments have been removed we are deemed registered," said Gani Fawehinmi, lawyer for the unregistered groups and head of the National Conscience Party. INEC said the ruling would not affect its arrangements for the 2003 polls.
The rejected groups would have to reapply for registration to take part, it added. Nigeria has not managed a successful transition from one elected government to another since independence from Britain in 1960. Elections ended in violence and military coups in the mid-1960s and in 1983.
Next year's elections in Africa's most populous country have been overshadowed by a three-year cycle of ethnic and religious violence that has killed over 10,000 people.
Tensions have also been heightened because of an attempt by members of parliament to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo for alleged mismanagement and abuse of the constitution.
Obasanjo is seeking re-election next year but is being challenged by dozens of presidential hopefuls in his ruling Peoples Democratic Party alone.