Independent National Electoral Commission receives 110 applications for new parties, begins registration process

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed receipt letters of intent from 110 associations seeking to be registered as political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria.

Penpushing reports that Chairman of the commission Prof Mahmood Yakubu, made this known on Wednesday during the commission’s quarterly media executive meeting, held in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The electoral boss, however, said that the commission would, treat all requests fairly irrespective of the status of their promoters adding that the receipt of letters of intent was as at Monday

Penpushing further reports that he however, denied insinuations in some quarters that the commission was compromising its independence on the status of the association seeking registration.

‘We are diligently processing the requests in line with the procedure outlined in the law as well as our regulations and guidelines. We have acknowledged all requests received so far, except six received recently which will be done before the end of the week, Yakubu stated.

‘For emphasis, I wish to inform Nigerians, particularly those interested in registering new political parties, that the handbook containing the regulations and guidelines for political parties 2022 is already available on the commission’s website’, he added.

Penpushing also reports that the commission boss recalled that a similar unfounded accusation was made in 2013 that the commission was not keen on the proposed merger of political parties because the commission had merged with the ruling party at the time.

‘For the record, the present commission registered the largest number of political parties in Nigeria and strictly followed the provisions of the electoral legal framework. In the 2019 general election, there were 91 political parties and 73 presidential candidates. The commission was criticised in some quarters for registering too many political parties’, he explained.

‘After the election, the commission also de-registered over 70 political parties as provided by law. We wish to reassure Nigerians that under the current situation; we will continue to be guided by law and act with fairness to all associations seeking registration as political parties’, Yakubu said.

‘We will treat all requests fairly irrespective of the status of their promoters, be they ordinary or prominent citizens. Nigerians will be fully briefed on the actions taken by the commission every step of the way’, he said.

Penpushing reports that Yakubu disclosed that the commission would release the full list of the 110 associations seeking registration, their proposed names, acronyms, addresses and names of their protem chairpersons and secretaries.

‘For transparency and public information, the list will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms shortly, while hard copies are included in your folders for this meeting,” he said.

Penpushing further reports that Yakubu on the conduct of outstanding by-elections and the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), said the commission was now in a position to conduct the by-elections and to resume Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) nationwide.

The commission chairman speaking on the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils election, pointed out that political parties’ primaries for the election ended on June 30, 2025, adding that the delineation details for the territory were already available on the commission’s website.

Penpushing also reports that on the upcoming Anambra Governorship election scheduled for August 8, 2025, said that campaigns in public by political parties had already commenced since June 11, 2025 and would end on November 6, 2025.

The Chairman reiterated that the commission would continue to update the public on electoral activities, urging the media to monitor electoral and political activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Anambra State.

Penpushing reports that Yakubu in same vein, appealed to the media for prompt online applications for accreditation for the Anambra State Governorship once the process commenced.

The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya, commended the electoral body for the regular media engagement and efforts by the commission to improve elections in the country.

Penpushing further reports that he assured commission of continued media support while appealing to the commission to prioritise journalists’ safety in the upcoming governorship election in Anambra state.

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