Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi supported a suit that sought to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister five political parties. He argued that their continued registration violated constitutional provisions.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi threw his weight behind the case filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators at the Federal High Court in Abuja. He joined the push to remove the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party from INEC’s register. Fagbemi contended that the parties failed to meet performance thresholds set by law.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission continued to act in breach of its constitutional duty by retaining these parties. He explained that Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution as amended, along with the Electoral Act 2022, required parties to satisfy minimum electoral benchmarks.
“Unless the court intervenes, INEC would continue to act in breach of its constitutional duty by retaining parties that have failed to meet the minimum requirements prescribed by law,” Prince Lateef Fagbemi argued in court filings.
The suit highlighted that non-performing parties clogged ballot papers, overstretched administrative resources and misled voters. Moreover, their existence led to wastage of public funds and undermined genuine political competition.
As a result, the Attorney General of the Federation urged the court to declare that INEC must deregister such parties before the 2027 general elections advanced further.
The five parties named in the application included the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.
The Forum of former legislators initiated the suit and received backing from Prince Lateef Fagbemi. Meanwhile the development added momentum to efforts to streamline Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the polls.
The Federal High Court in Abuja heard arguments on the matter. The plaintiff warned that without court intervention, the Independent National Electoral Commission might allow the parties to participate unlawfully in the 2027 elections. Furthermore, the case focused on enforcing compliance with constitutional standards for political parties.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi’s position aligned with the view that only active and viable parties should retain registration. The court fixed further hearing for May 5 to address the application.
