INEC moves to delist Top Nigeria political party – sources confirm

By Clement Agbakwuru, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is seriously considering the removal of the Action Peoples Party (APP) from its database of registered political parties, an inside source within the electoral body has confirmed.

This development, coming barely a week after the Civic Action for Democracy exposed what it described as a six-year electoral fraud involving APP’s continued recognition despite its lawful deregistration in February 2020, suggests that the mounting pressure on INEC to address the constitutional anomaly may be yielding results. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing internal deliberations, revealed that the commission’s leadership has been conducting extensive reviews of APP’s registration status, examining historical records of the 2020 deregistration exercise, and consulting with the commission’s legal department on the proper procedure for rectifying what is increasingly acknowledged internally as an institutional error that has persisted for far too long.

According to the INEC insider, the commission’s current leadership under Prof. Joash Amupitan has expressed serious concerns about the reputational damage INEC continues to suffer by maintaining a political party whose deregistration was not only legally executed but subsequently affirmed by the Supreme Court in March 2022.

There is growing recognition at the highest levels of the commission that this matter cannot be swept under the carpet or allowed to fester until it explodes during the 2027 elections,” the source disclosed. “The legal advice we are receiving is unambiguous: APP was properly deregistered in 2020, no valid court order exists or has ever existed to restrain that deregistration, and the party’s continued presence on our database represents a violation of both the Constitution and the Electoral Act

The source further revealed that Prof. Amupitan, as a distinguished academic and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has been particularly troubled by INEC’s inability to produce documentation for the court order it claimed in 2020, describing the situation as “legally indefensible and institutionally embarrassing.”

The deliberations within INEC have reportedly intensified following CAD’s release of the July 29, 2020 letter from Barr. Mrs. Eunice Atuejide requesting details of the purported court order protecting APP. “That letter is extremely problematic for us because it shows that we were confronted with this irregularity more than five years ago and chose to maintain silence rather than provide transparency,” the source admitted

How do we explain to Nigerians that we ignored a legitimate request for information from a concerned citizen for five years? How do we justify continuing to recognize a political party when we cannot produce the legal basis for that recognition? These are questions the current leadership is grappling with, and the consensus is that we need to act decisively before this matter becomes an even bigger crisis.” The source indicated that INEC’s legal department has been tasked with preparing a comprehensive memorandum outlining the procedure for delisting APP, addressing potential legal challenges that might arise, and ensuring that the process is conducted in a manner that withstands judicial scrutiny.

However, the source also revealed significant internal resistance to the proposed delisting, with some officials arguing that removing APP at this stage would expose INEC to litigation from the party and its members, create precedents that could affect other parties with disputed registration statuses, and potentially be perceived as political interference given that prominent politicians have already declared their membership of APP.

There are people within the commission who believe we should maintain the status quo and let the courts decide APP’s fate rather than taking unilateral action,” the insider disclosed. “Their argument is that delisting APP now, after allowing it to operate for six years, would be admitting institutional failure and opening INEC to accusations of bias and manipulation. They prefer to wait until someone challenges APP’s status in court and let the judiciary give us cover for whatever action we eventually take.” This faction within INEC reportedly includes some long-serving officials who were present during the 2020 deregistration exercise and may have personal interests in preventing full exposure of how APP was fraudulently exempted.

The source emphasized that Prof. Amupitan appears inclined toward decisive action rather than continued institutional paralysis, recognizing that his legacy and INEC’s credibility depend on confronting this corruption rather than perpetuating it. “The Chairman understands that this is his defining test,” the insider stated. “He can either take the courageous step of acknowledging that APP should not be on our database and removing it based on clear legal grounds, or he can follow the path of his predecessors and hope the problem somehow resolves itself or remains hidden until after his tenure. Everything we’re seeing suggests he’s leaning toward the former option, but there are powerful interests pushing back, and the final decision hasn’t been made.”

The source indicated that a formal announcement regarding APP’s status could come within the next few weeks, though the exact timing would depend on the resolution of internal debates and the completion of legal procedures to ensure the delisting is implemented properly.

Civil society organizations and political observers have welcomed the reports of INEC’s deliberations as a positive sign that institutional accountability may be possible in Nigeria’s electoral system.

Political analysts suggest that if INEC proceeds with delisting APP, the decision would send powerful signals about the commission’s independence and Prof. Amupitan’s leadership while simultaneously creating significant political complications for politicians who have committed their futures to the party.

The implications of APP’s potential delisting extend far beyond the immediate parties involved to encompass fundamental questions about electoral integrity, institutional accountability, and the rule of law in Nigeria’s democracy. If INEC removes APP from its database, the commission would be acknowledging six years of institutional failure while simultaneously demonstrating capacity for self-correction; a complex message that could either restore public confidence or invite deeper scrutiny of other electoral irregularities. If INEC maintains APP’s registration despite

overwhelming evidence of its illegal status, the commission would confirm the worst suspicions of electoral corruption and effectively declare that powerful interests can manipulate the system with impunity.

For Prof. Amupitan personally, the decision represents the choice between immediate political discomfort and long-term institutional credibility, between protecting colleagues who may have erred and establishing new standards of transparency, between administrative convenience and constitutional fidelity. As Nigeria watches and waits for INEC’s final decision on APP, the stakes could not be higher for the commission, for the 2027 elections, and for the future of Nigerian democracy itself.