Adedayo Samuel
Adesheila
The provision of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution as amended
guides the freedom of the citizens of Nigeria to assemble freely
and associate with one another and regulates the freewill to form
and belong to any political party, trade union or any legally
recognized association.
The said section stipulates thus:
Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and
associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or
belong to any political party, trade union or any other association
for the protection of his interests:
Provided that the provisions of this section shall not
derogate from the powers conferred by this Constitution on the
Independent National Electoral Commission with respect to political
parties to which that Commission does not accord
recognition.
By virtue of the above section, the right to freely associate
especially belonging to any political party is unfettered except
with regard to political party not accorded recognition by the
Independent National Electoral Commission. Let it also be of note
that in exercise of any citizen(s) right to freedom of assembly and
association, a citizen is has no right to infringe on another’s
enjoyment of same right.
It is the right of every citizen to decide which association or
group of persons are in the best position to protect his interests.
No association or group of persons can arrogate to itself the
authority to make that determination on behalf of another.
The right as provided for under Section 40 of the 1999
Constitution as amended is not absolute. No person is allow in
exercise of his own right to infringe on another person’s right.
The court in the case of R.T.. N.A.C.H.P.N. V.M. &
H.W.U.N (2008) 2 NWLR (PT.1072) 575 held thus:
Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, 1999 which guarantees the right to freedom of
association is not absolute.
It would be out of place and illegal to deny any citizen of this
Country by virtue of Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended the right to opt out of any
association where such person is a member. The court in giving
judiciary flavour to this interpretation in the case of A.
G., FEDERATION v. ABUBAKAR (2007) 10 NWLR (PT. 1041) 1
held thus:
Under the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, 1999, it will operate illegality, injustice
and unconstitutionally to refuse or deny a citizen of this country
to opt out, join, belong to any political party, trade union or any
other association for the protection of his interest, except where,
in case of political parties, the National Electoral Commission
(NEC) or (INEC) or as the name may suggest has not recognize the
party.
Also when the court was confronted with the interpretation of
Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
1999 as amended the court in the cases of MBANFO v. MOLOKWU
& ORS (2008) LPELR-3696 (CA) postulated thus:
Section 40 thereof guarantee rights to peaceful assembly and
association. It says: Every person shall be entitled to
assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular
he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any
other association for the protection of his interests:
Provided that the provisions of this section shall not
derogate from the powers conferred by this Constitution on the
Independent National Electoral Commission with respect to political
parties to which that Commission does not accord
recognition.
It is instructive to state that under Section 40 of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 the right is
not absolute. Where a person joined a political party voluntarily
and the rules of the party governing the conduct of the person as a
member, in that such a member cannot be a card carrier member of
another political as much as he still owes its allegiance to the
said party (antiparty in the political party) this would not be
said to have impinge on such a member’s right to associate with
another political party. See the case of RIMI v. P.R.P.
(1908) 2 NCLR; ANIEKWE v. OKEREKE (1996) 6 NWLR (PT.452)
60.
From the wording of the section, the Constitution vests in the
individual the right to associate, and assemble with other persons
and form or belong to any political party, the proviso to the
section is to the effect that the provision will not derogate the
powers of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with
respect to political parties to which the Commission does not
accord recognition.
ADEDAYO SAMUEL ADESHEILA is a counsel in the
law firm of Ferd Orbih SAN & Co.