The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the registration of two new political parties, bringing Nigeria’s total number of registered parties to 21 ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan announced the decision on Wednesday during the commission’s first consultative meeting with political parties for 2026 at its headquarters in Abuja.
The newly registered parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Amupitan explained that the registration followed a thorough assessment in line with the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s guidelines.
INEC received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking registration. After initial screening, 14 were pre-qualified, but only eight successfully uploaded required documents on INEC’s portal. These included ADA, CDA, ASP, AAP, DLA, GFP, NDP, and PFP.
“Out of the eight, only two qualified for final assessment. After due consideration, only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) fully complied with the requirements of the law and was approved for registration,” Amupitan said.
He added that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) was registered pursuant to a Federal High Court order in Lokoja, Kogi State. Certificates of registration will be issued to both parties in due course.
Warning Against Internal Crises
The INEC chairman cautioned political parties against persistent leadership disputes and litigations, stressing that such crises distract the commission from its core mandate of conducting free, fair, and credible elections.
He urged party leaders to embrace internal democracy, dialogue, and transparency to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process as preparations intensify for the 2026 off-cycle elections and the 2027 general polls.
Meanwhile, Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), called on INEC and the National Assembly to make real-time electronic transmission of election results to the IReV portal mandatory.
He also advocated the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), urging that INEC be empowered to conduct all elections nationwide.
Dantalle further proposed that all elections be held on the same day to reduce costs, curb voter fatigue, and prevent bandwagon effects.
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