•AGF’s push for de-registration undermines democratic integrity – Accord
Protesters on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja have warned President Bola Tinubu against interferinh in the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The protesters, operating under the aegis of the Concerned Northern Nigeria Stakeholders, marched from the National Assembly to the court premises in Wuse, chanting solidarity songs and waving placards with inscriptions such as “No Opposition, No Election” and “AGF Must Be Neutral.”
The demonstration follows a contentious suit supported by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), which seeks the deregistration of several political parties.
According to court filings seen last week, the AGF backed a case instituted by former lawmakers requesting the court to compel INEC to delist the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The AGF argued that these parties have failed to meet the legal requirements stipulated in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), asserting that their continued existence undermines electoral integrity.
Addressing journalists, the leader of the protest group, Banki Sharrif, raised an alarm over what he described as growing threats to judicial independence.
He accused the Federal Government of using administrative maneuvering to weaken political parties, particularly those with strong roots in Northern Nigeria.
Sharrif warned that if the judiciary lends legitimacy to political exclusion through technicalities, it risks triggering widespread unrest and eroding public trust in lawful remedies.
Also reacting, the Accord Party tackled the AGF over the de-registration push, characterizing the move as a calculated attempt to stifle the opposition and narrow the democratic space.
The party maintained that the AGF’s involvement in the suit signals a departure from the expected neutrality of his office and serves as a weaponization of legal processes for political ends.
As security operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) maintained a blockade at the court entrance, the demonstrators reiterated that democracy thrives on competition rather than coercion.
They insisted that any attempt to dismantle opposition structures through judicial endorsement would be viewed as a betrayal of the constitutional right to political association, placing the nation’s stability at risk.
