By Queen Kunde
The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has accused the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice of presenting false claims before a Federal High Court in a case seeking to deregister the party.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, ZLP National Chairman, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, insisted that the party remains legally recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and has met all constitutional requirements to continue operating.
Nwanyanwu said the suit against the party was filed by what he described as “an association of former lawmakers,” who claimed that the ZLP failed to win elections and should therefore be removed from the list of registered political parties.
He, however, rejected the allegation, describing it as “false and misleading.”
According to him, the Nigerian Constitution only requires a political party to win at least one councillorship seat to remain registered, adding that the ZLP had won councillorship and local government positions in past elections.
“To say that Zenith Labour Party did not win any election is not true. We won councillorship seats and local government positions, and we have already presented certificates of return before the court,” he said.
The ZLP chairman further claimed that INEC, in its response before the court, confirmed that the party won elective positions, contradicting claims made against it.
He accused the office of the Attorney General of failing to properly verify facts before making submissions in court and warned against attempts to weaken opposition parties through legal actions.
Nwanyanwu urged Nigerians planning to contest future elections to join the ZLP without fear, insisting that the party remains peaceful, stable and fully recognised under the law.
He also criticised what he called efforts by some public officials to undermine opposition parties and warned that such actions could threaten democracy and political pluralism in Nigeria.
The elder statesman maintained that the electoral process ahead of future elections was still ongoing, adding that no final decision had been made on which political parties would appear on the ballot until all legal and electoral procedures are completed.