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By Gabriel Ameh
The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, has accused the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice of allegedly misleading the court by claiming that the party failed to win any election and should therefore be deregistered.
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, Nwanyanwu said the move to deregister the party stemmed from a lawsuit filed by a group identified as the Association of Former Legislators, which challenged the status of some political parties, including the ZLP.
According to him, the Attorney General, in his response before the court, allegedly supported the call for the deregistration of the party on the grounds that it failed to secure electoral victories required under the Constitution.
Nwanyanwu, however, described the claim as “false” and “misleading,” insisting that the party won 15 local government chairmanship seats and 176 councillorship positions during the last local government elections.
He argued that under Nigeria’s constitutional provisions, a political party only needs to win at least one councillorship seat to retain its registration status.
The ZLP chairman accused the Attorney General of failing to carry out proper due diligence before making such submissions in court, alleging that the public circulation of the claims was aimed at discouraging politicians and aspirants from joining the party ahead of future elections.
He further claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission had already confirmed in its court filings that the ZLP won elective positions and met constitutional requirements.
Nwanyanwu also alleged that there were deliberate attempts to frustrate smaller political parties through prolonged court processes that could affect their ability to field candidates within the electoral timetable.
He maintained that the ZLP remains a legally recognized political party with no restriction preventing aspirants from contesting elections on its platform.
The ZLP chairman called on Nigerians interested in contesting future elections to join the party, describing it as peaceful and open to all aspirants.
He also demanded an apology and resignation from the Attorney General, insisting that public officials occupying sensitive offices must uphold accuracy and responsibility in matters before the court.
