AAP Tackles INEC Over ‘Unlawful Exclusion From Party Registration’, Threatens Legal Action

The African Alliance Party (AAP) has strongly condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what it described as its unlawful failure to register the party despite meeting all constitutional and statutory requirements.

In a statement issued from its National Secretariat in Abuja and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, the party said INEC’s action amounted to a “calculated assault on the nation’s democracy” and warned that the commission risked legal action if it did not immediately reverse its decision.

AAP recalled that in a press release dated September 11, 2025, signed by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the electoral body published a list of 14 pre-qualified political associations out of 171 applications received. African Alliance Party was among those pre-qualified, and its interim chairman and secretary were subsequently invited to a briefing at INEC headquarters on September 17, 2025.

According to the party, INEC later opened a dedicated portal for the upload of required documents between September 18 and Occtober 18, 2025. In another press release dated October 30, 2025, also signed by Olumekun, INEC announced that eight of the 14 pre-qualified associations had successfully completed the upload of all necessary documentation as of October 19, 2025. AAP said it was among the associations that met this requirement, adding that INEC at the time reaffirmed its commitment to inclusivity, transparency and the deepening of Nigeria’s democratic culture.

The party further cited media reports published on December 25, 2025, which stated that INEC had cleared only two political associations — African Alliance Party (AAP) and the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) — to proceed to the final stage of registration.

“From all available records, it is clear that AAP met all the requirements for registration as a political party and was unlawfully removed by INEC,” the statement said. “This injustice shall not stand.”

AAP also questioned INEC’s decision to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), alleging that the group neither participated in the registration process nor appeared on INEC’s official list of pre-qualified associations published for public scrutiny.

“On what criterion was NDC registered?” the party asked, insisting that any court order relied upon by INEC must be based on credible evidence of participation in the registration process. “You cannot build something on nothing,” it added.

The party accused INEC of bias, policy inconsistency and abuse of legal process, warning that these issues would be challenged in court. It reaffirmed its confidence in the judiciary, describing it as “the last hope of all aggrieved citizens,” and pledged to continue defending and deepening Nigeria’s democracy.

“The political space should be widened, not compressed,” AAP stated, alleging that anti-democratic forces were working through a “compromised INEC” to frustrate its registration.

AAP concluded by demanding its immediate registration as a political party, warning that failure to do so would prompt legal action to compel the commission to comply with due process and the rule of law.