The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 110 associations have applied to the commission seeking registration as political parties, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the second regular consultative meeting with media executives.
According to him the 110 were the ones that had submitted letters of intent as at Monday 23 June.
He also warned that INEC would not accord preferential treatment to applicants irrespective of the status of their promoters, either ordinary or prominent citizens.
Yakubu said that the meeting was held in the middle of two electoral activities, being the conduct of primaries for the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which, by INEC Timetable and Schedule of Activities, ends on Monday 30th June 2025.
He said that the election will be held in 68 constituencies made up of chairmen and their deputies for the six Area Councils – Abaji, the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali – as well as 62 Wards drawn on the basis of 10 Wards for each Area Council, except AMAC which has 12 Wards on account of its population.
Yakubu said that the second electoral activity is the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship election.
“Clearly, one of the topical issues on election administration in our country today is the status of the letters of intent we received from associations seeking registration as political parties amidst partisan insinuations in some quarters that the commission is equivocating on the matter in a manner that compromises our independence.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. Nigerians may recall that the same unfounded accusation was made under similar circumstances in 2013 that the commission was not keen on the proposed merger of political parties because INEC had “merged with the ruling party” at the time.
“For the record, the present commission registered the largest number of political parties in Nigeria strictly following the provision of the electoral legal framework.
“For 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.
“After the election, the commission also deregistered 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.
“We will treat all requests fairly irrespective of the status of their promoters, be they ordinary or prominent citizens. Nigerians will be fully briefed of the actions taken by the commission every step of the way.
“As at Monday, 23rd June 2025, the commission has received letters of intent from 110 associations that wish to register as political parties,” Yakubu said.
He said that the commission is diligently processing the requests in line with the procedure outlined in the law as well as its Regulations and Guidelines.
He also said that the commission has acknowledged all requests received so far except six of them received recently which will be done before the end of the week.
He said, “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 2022is already available on the Commission’s website.”
The INEC boss said that for transparency and public information, the list of the 110nassociations would be uploaded to INEC website and social media platforms shortly.
Sspeaking on the conduct of outstanding bye-elections and the resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), Prof. Yakubu said that the elections would happened in 16 different constituencies.
He said that the commission is now in a position to conduct the bye-elections and to also resume the nationwide CVR.
Prof. Yakubu said that the commission has concluded major internal processes and will, within the next 24 hours, release full details of the scheduled bye-elections and the resumption plan for CVR nationwide.
This development comes amid increased calls for the commission to fill existing legislative vacancies across several constituencies and to allow new eligible voters including first-time voters and those who have changed locations to register ahead of forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the 2027 general elections.
…NUJ assures of support
Also speaking the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, commended INEC for its proactive engagement with media professionals and reiterated the media’s role in promoting electoral integrity and democracy.
“Our function goes beyond just reporting events. The media shapes public discourse, fosters transparency, and strengthens democratic participation,” Yahaya said. He also lauded INEC’s commitment to the safety of journalists and urged continued collaboration ahead of elections in Anambra and other states,” Yahaya said.
…El-Rufai, Atiku group on number 109
Our correspondent reports that the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) being championed by former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar among others, as the coalition platform, to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) was number 109 of the 110 association that submitted letter of intent.
Coincidentally, another association with same acronym ‘ADA’ (Advanced Democratic Alliance) was the last association at number 110.
It was also observed that some of the applicants submitted the names of their protem chairmen, without protem secretary; and some others provided names of their protem secretaries and omitted the names of their protem chairmen in their submission.
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