The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, has declared that politicians interested in contesting future elections should freely join the party, insisting that it remains legally recognised despite an ongoing court case seeking its deregistration.
Nwanyanwu made the declaration during a press conference held alongside members of the party’s National Working Committee, where he dismissed claims that the Zenith Labour Party failed to meet constitutional requirements to remain a registered political party.
According to him, the lawsuit was filed by a group identified as an association of former legislators, which challenged the continued registration of some political parties over alleged failure to win elections.
The Zenith Labour Party chairman accused the Attorney General of the Federation of allegedly misleading the court by claiming that the party did not win any election.
“We have no encumbrances of any type. Come and take your forms and run under Zenith Labour Party,” Nwanyanwu said.
He argued that the party exceeded the constitutional threshold required for political parties to remain registered, revealing that the Zenith Labour Party won 15 local government chairmanship seats and 176 councillorship positions.
Nwanyanwu displayed what he described as certificates of return issued to the party’s elected officials, insisting that the constitution only requires a political party to secure at least one councillorship seat to avoid deregistration.
“The Attorney General lied on oath by saying we did not win anything,” he alleged.
The party chairman further claimed that the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission had already confirmed in court documents that the party won elective positions.
He alleged that the publicity surrounding the case was deliberately aimed at discouraging politicians from defecting to the Zenith Labour Party ahead of future elections.
“The intention is to scare prospective contestants from coming into our party to pick forms,” he said.
Nwanyanwu also warned against what he described as attempts to weaken opposition parties in Nigeria, saying democracy would be endangered if smaller political parties were unfairly targeted.
During the briefing, he recalled events surrounding the 2023 presidential election collation process at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, claiming that his intervention helped preserve the democratic process that eventually produced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He also criticised recent amendments to Senate rules, describing them as “self-serving” and unconstitutional, while announcing plans to challenge them in court.
Nwanyanwu maintained that the Zenith Labour Party remained open to politicians from different political backgrounds who wished to contest elections on its platform.
“Those outside who want to come, let them come and take their forms and run,” he added.
