The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, has called for the resignation of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice over claims that the party failed to meet constitutional requirements to remain registered.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, Nwanyanwu accused the Attorney General of misleading the court by allegedly stating that the party did not win any elective positions and should therefore be deregistered.
According to him, the suit was instituted by a group identified as the Association of Former Legislators, which challenged the continued existence of some political parties, including the ZLP.
Nwanyanwu said the party had deliberately refrained from commenting publicly on the matter until the Attorney General’s response in court was allegedly circulated in the media and social media, creating fear among prospective aspirants intending to contest elections on the party’s platform.
“The Attorney General lied on oath by saying we did not win anything. Zenith Labour Party won 15 local government chairmanship seats and 176 councillorship seats,” he said while displaying what he described as certificates of return issued to the party’s elected officials.
The ZLP chairman argued that under the Constitution, a political party only needed to win at least one council seat to satisfy the threshold for continued registration.
He further claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission had already acknowledged in its court deposition that the party won elective positions.
Nwanyanwu alleged that the intention behind the court action and public statements was to discourage politicians, especially those leaving crisis-ridden parties, from joining the ZLP ahead of future elections.
He also accused the Attorney General’s office of allegedly attempting to weaken opposition political parties, insisting that the party would vigorously defend its status in court.
The ZLP chairman maintained that the party remained fully qualified under constitutional provisions and urged intending aspirants not to be discouraged from seeking nomination forms under its platform.
On proposed amendments to Senate rules, Nwanyanwu described the move as “authoritarian” and vowed that the party would challenge it in court.
He argued that the National Assembly lacked the powers to amend rules in a manner that would allegedly favour serving lawmakers, recalling that similar provisions relating to election sequencing had previously been struck down by the courts.
“We are going to court to challenge it. They have no powers to amend their rules to serve current senators,” he stated.
Nwanyanwu also referenced the role played by political parties during the 2023 presidential election collation process, claiming that interventions by party leaders helped stabilise the process at a critical moment.
He reiterated his demand for a public apology and resignation of the Attorney General, insisting that the allegations against the ZLP were false and damaging to the party’s reputation.
