Deborah Akinyosoye
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, said that 14 associations seeking to register as political parties had been cleared to proceed to the next stage of the registration process.
It, however, said 157 others were rejected for failing to meet constitutional and legal requirements. INEC, in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed that out of the 171 requests received, only 14 scaled through the preliminary assessment.
According to the document , those cleared include African Transformation Party (ATP), All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Advance Nigeria Congress (ANC), Abundance Social Party (ASP), African Alliance Party (AAP), Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA), and Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA).
Others were Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP), Green Future Party (GFP), Liberation People’s Party (LPP), National Democratic Party (NDP), National Reform Party (NRP), Patriotic Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Peoples Freedom Party (PFP).
Olumekun said each application was scrutinised against Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 (1, 2 and 4) of the Electoral Act 2022, and Clause 2 (i and ii) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
He explained that the clearance does not amount to full registration, stressing that the final determination of their registration would only be made after INEC’s physical verification of all claims made by the groups.
Olumekun said that interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations are expected to come for a briefing on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, by 11:00 a.m., at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, in addition to uploading the required information to the portal, they will physically verify all claims by each association in line with the Commission’s regulations and guidelines. Also, Olumekun said the Commission would communicate its decision to all the parties within the next 24 hours.