 Welcome back to the Breakfast on Plus TV Africa. Some of the 74 political parties registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2020 say they will challenge the electoral umpire's action. They were registered following the poor performance in the 2019 general election. This means that they wouldn't be allowed to field candidates in the 2023 general election. One of such parties is the Liberation Movement and we have the Lagos State Chairman of the party, Raman Adebe, with us this morning. Good morning Mr Adebe. Good morning. Good morning, Andrea. Thanks for joining us. Good morning. Now we understand the whole contention with the you know 74 parties that were registered you know in 2020 but then there was an appeal court judgment last year that said even though you know Ainec you know had the powers to register the party they had gone about it you know with disregard for court processes. What does that court of appeal ruling you know mean for your party? Well what I mean is that it's in the case of NUP and the case of NUP in the appeal court was already saying that Ainec had a party where he stopped with the power party. Nobody is protesting that. But what we are saying is that we are in court and Ainec is saying that he is in court to get a final interpretation of that portion. And in the case of the NUP, I think their case is to them alone and it isolated the immediate part of it. I'm sure that the political party is already in court and Ainec is aware of that. The challenge that we are waiting for is a mission of that and other situations that are in court. So if we say now because of 1.4 party judgment, we want to now put it on top of the meaning of the power. I think that's unfair. So we should be able to allow because as it is now that the court remains and say that yes we remain at 1.4 party in Nigeria. We are in court and the court has not been out to the court. So we are in court. So we remain at 1.4 party and then Ainec needs to wait for the time before they continue their pronouncement that the party has fully registered. Okay. I want to ask about the one of the things that was mentioned. I want to ask about the one of the things that was mentioned for the registration. It says the 7.4 political parties did not satisfy the requirements of the fourth alteration to the constitutional electoral act 2010. A quickly react to that and then do you agree that maybe you know some of these parties don't actually meet up to those requirements? I think that requirement according to the law is according to the fourth alteration. Both what we are saying at the time in which Ainec was completing that petition and not all four political parties in Nigeria have gone to the full circle. Especially my party that did some movement. We have not gone to the full circle of electioneering and because we were legislated in 2018 and before you know it, we went to the election just about a month to the election to go. And look at the election I have not hold at the time in which the position of the political party. So you can't use one white thing that's really out. So for some who have been there for a long time, they have their reasons, majority of them are feeling caught and for my party I think Ainec seemed to allow us to fulfill our duty as a political party in Nigeria to mobilize to get into elections. So because we participated in the presidential election, which has to do with the presidency, the Senate and the rest of the world, does not mean that we are persuaded in governorship and what are we. So and there are other political elections that were meant to happen in the course of that year. So Ainec I think was too much in a haste to do the needful by taking parties out. If they are taking time to follow the process, to follow the democracy properly, I think will not be in this part of being in position in different courses in Nigeria. You said your party was registered in 2018. Ms Adebe, can you confirm for us? You said your party was registered in 2018. Yes, yes. Okay, so tell us about the 2019 elections and how did your party get involved in 2019 elections and how did it fare? Yes, we were involved in 2019 elections and apparently when we were registered, I think the summaries were meant to be up and running during that period. And of course we have to confirm for Ainec if we were registered to participate in that election. We have to clarify to all that for weeks that, oh, you are part of this because we were registered pre-the election. So and that's how I was seen and we participated in the election. We participated in the presidency in the summaries and the half of rest and what have you. So, why not to say that the turnovers now, I think it's not fair. This is what I want us to clarify. Exactly how did your party fare in the 2019 elections? Of course we were included in the presidency and we had a number of votes across the nation and according to Ainec, it was not at the party, it was at the same across the board. Yes, that's okay. Of course, you know, after your party, you need to realize that that's a reality on the ground. But they need to allow us the full spectrum of the election from the presidency to the Gwafnoshi to the state. We look at government. We look to the world. Who says we cannot win a number of votes if they allow us to sit in that election? But did you win any in 2019? Of course. 2019 was for presidential elections. So, of course, you know one of the, the person who won it is now the president of Nigeria. So that election alone cannot be found in the future of human affairs. We're seeing your party out of the day. What a basket is, you know, aside the presidential, did you win in any, you know, modern election level, states, local government, anything? All right. So, Mr Adebe, we know that there was a Supreme Court ruling on Friday, May 7th, and the ruling here still like the appeal court upheld, you know, the authority of Ainec to register the parties. So what next for your party? What other moves are you taking, you know, in ensuring that your party gets re-registered? So if, you know, the Supreme Court doesn't, the Supreme Court judgment doesn't swing in your favour, what plans, you know, does your party have? Would you be maybe planning to join other parties, you know, a coalition? What will be the next plan if, you know, the judgment isn't exactly favourable? Okay, so post 2019 elections 2020, you know, tell us about what the liberation movement has been up to. You know, is there more awareness about the party? Will it, you know, maybe have a stronger opportunity in the next general elections? Of course, the, the, the, the real of the game is, you see mobilising, you see mobilising, you see getting put to, uh, awareness of the party, and the court case has not been favourable, because, you know, that is, uh, a flood in the world of feminine things that need to happen, but that does not result within our party, we're moving the party forward, we're, we're growing our process there and there, and we're doing our best to ensure that by time court tonight it goes back, then we'll come into the whole thing and we'll become better for it. You know, and what I'm asking this is, you know, because somehow, someway, you know, I believe that the party would need to prove that it will be able to meet up with those requirements in the constitution before INEC will, you know, of course, see that it has met those requirements and will go ahead and consider re-registering it if that's an option, depending on what the court says. And so, um, what are the things that have been, have been put in place so far that should give it a stronger chance of being re-registered? Okay, I'm just telling you, we are in place on the party that is being re-registered, and of course, re-regition is another process, and no party will want to go through that, especially when it is in the court with INEC. So that is your position for now. All right, so when we talk political parties in Nigeria, I mean, about 74, where they register, that's a lot. And while several political parties, you know, are clamoring for, you know, a share of the pie, many Nigerians still do not know who these political parties are for liberation movements, you know, as a party. Could you tell us a bit more about your party, what you stand for, and how, you know, you may be different from the two major parties that we all know in Nigeria, the APC and the PDP? Our party is the British Union, and we stand for equality and prosperity. And we stand for the youth, and we stand for, and we represent all the stakeholders across the spectrum of Nigeria. We want to create an equitable alternative for Nigerians to have, because Nigerians have seen the years, the two parties, they've experienced them, they want them to experience something new. And that's why we are coming to the spectrum, that's why we go through the motion with INEC to get registered. And after registration, we participated in the election, we put it at awareness, we saw the methods on the streets, they listened to us, they liked us. Of course, we need to go into full further spectrum of media awareness so that more Nigerians will know that there are credible alternative parties for Nigerians to have, so that Nigerians will not be bossed into the truth, and the kind of violence that ensue as we perceive in the two parties now will reduce, because people will have alternative to what is on the table, and they'll be able to join freely any party of your choice. So that's what we stand for, and we stand for to change the fundamentals that are wrong, the value of Nigeria. And the majority of the things we are campaigning for will be creating Nigerians, and we want Nigerians to see as a credible alternative to what presently exists. Well, what's your reaction to people who say that Nigeria doesn't need this many political parties, we don't need to have 80 or 90 political parties, and it's a lot better if we have just a few that people can relate with, and can listen to their ideologies and see what direction to follow. What will be your reaction to that? I think I've heard that too many times. I've heard it on the streets of Lagos, from across Nigeria as well, and because people were only used to two parties, and like I said, when you have a credible alternative, and what is this time to do, and this time to do in Liberation, this time to have a chance to participate, because getting involved in democracy, democracy will not, as Nigeria is signing into its constitution, freedom of accession to join, and we are a multi-party state, we are not a two-party state, so if you say only two parties is what we want, I think that's not a two-party that we signed in our constitution. Currently, as we speak, according to IMF, there are over 45 parties with me to be registered. The 90 that we had, you know, that has been registered, IMF is running more, so that shows me that IMF is trying to restore the constitution of Nigeria in that scene, and for Nigerians, they need to be patient and follow through, because you don't need to win all. You can begin modulally, because everybody is looking at the government as the only government. Look at government, you can come into our party, you can win three words together, you can say that as a model to the world, and make it work, and deliver democracy to the people. Everybody is looking to believe, because Nigeria is saying to him, are you trying to change all the full circle? You can't change the full circle in one strike. You need to begin modulally and change things, and that's where I think Nigeria should begin to appreciate it. Because between 91 political parties, not all of them are contesting in the same local government at the same time, because everybody will focus on where it seems right, and that's the beauty of democracy, because it means that across the spectrum of leaders, you can have simple political parties winning. It means different views, different politicians, and that will give room to a robust democracy, a robust discussion, a robust development for everybody. All right, and also the Supreme Court, of course, ruling is what we're expecting next, so how would you like the Supreme Court to see things different or from your perspective? What is your prayer to the Supreme Court? My prayer to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, has been to lift up the political parties so that we can participate in the election, so that those that we have, that are the gainers, can take you to the pool and demonstrate at the local level across Nigeria, and then we can build up from there up until we go to the president. We can build up, it's not magic, you need to start modulally and grow better and grow wider, because people need to test your efficiency, test the ideology of your party, and test how you run the governance and deliver the quality and prosperity to all. How far is the liberation movement party spread across Nigeria? Well, I have the tension in the territory of Nigeria, including the FCT, and I have the pressure on the border. Okay, all right. Well, Mr Dibi, I think, I'm sure Farneta wants to... Well, I basically asked a question earlier that I didn't get your answer to regarding the verdict of the Supreme Court. I'm saying, if, at the end of the day, the Supreme Court upholds the decision of INEC and the Supreme Court and the appeal court, that INEC, indeed, has the power to register the political parties, did not fulfill the requirements for registration, like INEC has said, and all the barriers are not granted, is the liberation movement looking to walk in all the political parties to see if they can actually form a coalition? Is that an alternative that you might be looking at? That's an option on the table. We don't think that happens, but if it happens, we have the options on our table to join hands with other parties. We go back to going both to come up with a strategy of what we're going to do as an association, as a group of people who believe in our ideology, and I can see which other party has to make the ideology with us, or we go for a new administration. We do have so many options that are available to us that we're going to take when we're ready to do it. All right, thank you very much, Mr Raman, Adebe, for your time on the breakfast. Thank you very much. We're still talking security this morning, our next major conversation. We're talking once again attack on police facilities and police stations and policemen, and how all of this can stop. Of course, we're seeking better understanding as to what exactly is going on in Nigeria, in the southeast and in the south south. What exactly is the cause of some of these attacks? Like I mentioned earlier, is there a plan to weaken the security architecture in those areas for, of course, a bigger plan? Would have that conversation right next? Yes, indeed. Just stay with us.