- Demands timely compliance
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The African Alliance Party (AAP) one of the political associations that progressed through all the stages of the 2025 political party registration exercise, has commended the judiciary following what they described as landmark judgment by the Court of Appeal which declared it a legally registered political party and also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue its certificate of registration without delay.
In a press statement released on Thursday in Abuja, the National Chairman of the AAP, Rev. Olusegun Peters, described the ruling as a monumental victory for the rule of law and a significant reinforcement of Nigeria’s multi-party democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Peters noted that the judgment, delivered on Thursday by the Court of Appeal sitting in the Makurdi Judicial Division in Appeal No: CA/MK/102/2026, arose from an appeal filed by Peters against INEC, its Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), and its Secretary, Dr Rose Oriarian-Anthony.
The decision which was handed down on 11th June 2026 and was contained in a judgment delivered by a panel of justices comprising; Hon. Justice A.A. Wambai, Hon. Justice I.B. Gafai , and Hon. Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri who read the leading judgment for a unanimous panel.
According to him the appellate court held that the AAP is deemed duly registered by operation of law because INEC failed to challenge or object to the party’s eligibility within the constitutionally prescribed 60-day window available for political party registration.
He noted that the Court found that INEC’s administrative inertia during that statutory period foreclosed any future objections, thereby entitling the AAP to registration as a matter of constitutional right.
Reacting to the verdict, Peters praised the judiciary for standing firm as the true bastion of democracy.
According to the AAP, “This judgment reinforces the sacred principle that constitutional timelines imposed on regulatory authorities are mandatory, not merely directory.
“The judiciary has once again affirmed that administrative silence or inaction cannot be deployed as an instrument to frustrate eligible political associations or deny them their fundamental constitutional rights,” Peters said.
While celebrating the legal victory, the AAP national chairman urged INEC to comply with the order swiftly to avoid disrupting preparations for the 2027 polls.
He noted that due to the initial legal impasse, the party had already missed key preliminary electoral activities.
Peters emphasised that the details of these challenges and the legal parameters surrounding the commission’s administrative delays were extensively ventilated during the court proceedings.
“Time is of the essence. In alignment with the spirit of the judgment, we call on INEC to immediately issue our Certificate of Registration to enable the AAP to seamlessly integrate into the electoral framework, submit its updated register of members, and conduct its party primaries,” Peters said.
He stressed that prompt compliance by INEC is vital to ensure that the party’s teeming members across the country are not disenfranchised and that the AAP can effectively meet up with the official electoral timetable.
Peters expressed gratitude to the party’s legal team from Everlaw Associates, led by O. Marx Ikongbeh, Esq., and its supporters nationwide for their resilience, adding that the AAP remains fully prepared to offer Nigerians a credible and visionary alternative in the upcoming general elections.
