AAP Accuses INEC of Bias, Threatens Legal Action Over Registration Refusal

The African Alliance Party has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of bias and threatened to take legal action over the commission’s refusal to register it as a political party.

The AAP, one of several associations seeking registration ahead of the 2027 general elections, described INEC’s decision as “unlawful,” claiming it had met all constitutional and statutory requirements.

The accusation follows INEC’s announcement on Thursday that it had approved the registration of two new political parties the Democratic Leadership Alliance, which it said met all statutory conditions, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order. The commission stated that only one out of 171 associations that applied successfully completed its rigorous screening process.

In a statement issued on Saturday titled “Register AAP Now or Face Legal Action,” the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Sadiq, alleged that INEC was applying double standards and undermining democracy.

The AAP insisted it complied fully with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act, and INEC’s 2022 regulations, yet was excluded from the final list.

“The integrity of INEC is at stake. Its double standard is glaring in registering the purported NDC, which neither participated in the registration process nor was listed on INEC’s website and other official platforms for public information,” the statement read.

The party vowed to challenge what it called an abuse of process, INEC’s bias, and a “policy somersault” in court, asserting that the rule of law must prevail.

“The party reaffirms its confidence in the judiciary as the temple of justice and the last hope of all aggrieved citizens, and will defend and deepen the nation’s democracy despite the antics of reactionary forces bent on suffocating the democratic space,” it added.