33 groups seek registration as political parties

A total of 33 Nigerian political groups have filed papers for registration as political parties to contest general elections in 2003, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Tuesday.

Details released by INEC spokesman Okpo S.K. Okpo, at a news conference in the capital Abuja, showed parties with a wide range of political inclinations, including a variety of left-leaning groups, one religious party - Christian Liberation Movement - and others with centrist tendencies.

Okpo said the electoral body would convene a meeting next week with all interested groups to determine criteria for registration, which might include a national spread of membership. He added that full details for the registration process would be released on Friday.

"When we invite the leaders of the political associations to discuss the guidelines for the registration of new parties next week, we will ensure that we create a level playing field for all," he said.

Among the parties seeking registration is the National Conscience Party led by radical human rights lawyer Gani Fawehinmi, who has already declared his intention to challenge President Olusegun Obasanjo. There is also the left-leaning People's Redemption Party, which controlled two states in northern Nigeria during the civilian government of 1979 - 1983. The Movement for Democracy and Justice, which won two local governments in 1999 but not enough to contest subsequent elections, has also applied for re-registration.

Under Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, which ended 15 years of military rule, parties seeking registration must win a stipulated number of local governments to be eligible to contest elections at the state and federal levels. Local elections have been fixed for 10 August.