The African Alliance Party, AAP, has issued a two-week ultimatum to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to register it as a political party or face legal action.
The AAP Interim National Chairman, Rev. Olusegun Peters, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
AAP is said to be one of the eight pre-qualified associations seeking INEC registration that successfully completed the upload of required documents on the commission’s portal.
Peters said that the association did not only meet the upload deadline but also fulfilled all requirements stipulated in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
He alleged that INEC unjustly denied the group registration despite meeting all the set conditions and timelines.
He referenced recent media reports that two associations—Democratic Leadership Alliance, DLA, and AAP—had been cleared for registration.
“It is hard to believe that INEC, which pledged to treat each application based on merit and according to the provisions of the laws, can turn around to deny AAP which, in all ramifications, met the requirements for registration,” Peters stated.
According to him, the refusal of INEC to register the party was politically motivated due to AAP’s ‘growing popularity’ ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We believe we were denied registration because of the level of acceptance we have already gained with Nigerians, including the political class and ordinary citizens, based on our manifesto and the solutions we offer to Nigeria’s challenges,” he said.
Peters said that their lawyers had been briefed to proceed with litigation, should the commission fail to review its list and register AAP within the 14-day window.
He called on INEC to make public the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the court order that led to the registration of Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in place of AAP.
The chairman expressed surprise that NDC was registered despite not being among the 14 pre-qualified associations or the eight that successfully uploaded their details to the commission’s website.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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