ABUJA: Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered two new political parties.
The parties are, Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), thus bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who disclosed this on Thursday during the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja in Abuja said that the DLA emerged as the only association that fully met the statutory requirements, out of 171 groups that applied for registration, while the NDC was registered in compliance with a court order.
He recalled that INEC received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking registration and assessed them in line with Sections 222 and 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Sections 75 and 79 of the Electoral Act, 2022, as well as the commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.
According to him, 14 associations passed the initial pre-qualification stage and were invited to proceed further, while eight successfully uploaded the required documents on INEC’s portal.
These included the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA), Abundance Social Party (ASP), African Alliance Party (AAP), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Green Future Party (GFP), National Democratic Party (NDP) and Peoples Freedom Party (PFP).
“Out of these eight, only two qualified for final assessment and verification of compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
“After due consideration, only the Democratic Leadership Alliance fully complied with the requirements of the law and was therefore registered as a political party, effective February 5, 2025,” he said.
Amupitan also disclosed that the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 between Barr. Takori Mohammed Sanni & Ors v. INEC, ordered the commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
“The commission has decided to comply with the court order, and the NDC is hereby registered as a political party.
Certificates of registration will be handed over to the two new parties in due course,” he added.
The INEC chairman, however, expressed concern over increasing internal crises and leadership disputes within political parties, warning that frequent litigations were undermining democratic stability and overstretching the judicial system.
He noted that such internal squabbles often dragged INEC into unnecessary legal battles, diverting attention from its core mandate of conducting free, fair and credible elections.
“The essence of democracy lies in the ability of political parties to organise, debate and contest ideas within the framework of fairness and mutual respect.
“Unfortunately, persistent infighting erodes public trust, creates uncertainty among party members and weakens our democratic institutions,” Amupitan said.
He reaffirmed INEC’s neutrality and urged party leaders to embrace transparent and cohesive leadership, prioritise dialogue over division, and focus on policy development and citizen engagement rather than internal strife.
