INEC registers 2 new political parties, after reported withholding of same

By KEMI KASUMU

The newly registered parties are the Independent Democrats (ID) and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).

Amidst alignment and alignment exercises ongoing within the camps of coalition political groups and parties as part of the preparations 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally succumbed to pressure as it registers two new political parties.

The electoral umpire, which is not supposed to be answerable to one person, party or even the president despite being appointer of its chairman but to the Constitution, took this stance after a May 31, 2025 report that it was withholding the registration of new political parties in the wake of allegations that existing parties have been compromised one way or the other and that none of them may be eligible eligible for any strong coalition to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the exercise.

However, the INEC based its decision to proceed with registration of the new political parties on claim that it is in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as Amended), as revealed in a statement posted on website of the commission and signed by its Secretary, A. C. Ogakwu.

The newly registered parties are the Independent Democrats (ID) and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).

The Constitution, Manifesto, Logo/Flag and list of National Executive Officers of each party have also been approved by the Commission.

The electoral body had earlier assured that those associations, which applied for registration as political parties would be considered before the general elections.

With the registration, officially recognized political parties in Nigeria now stand at 20.

It will recalled that a newspaper, precisely Weekend Trust’s headline “2027: INEC ‘withholds’ registration of new parties” of Saturday May 31 this year in which it reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was holding onto the application of 104 groups and associations filed after the 2023 elections seeking to be registered as political parties to enable more groups take part in future electoral activities in the country.

The report had earlier said that one of the ways the National Opposition Coalition Group, which is bent on challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, is planning to do so is to register a new political party to be known as All Democratic Alliance (ADA).

The option, according to sources in the coalition seems safer as there are suspicions that the ruling party may have infiltrated most of the existing parties and could use them to frustrate the bid by the coalition to forge an alliance, Weekend Trust had reported.

It also said it’s investigations, however, showed that INEC appeared not to be in a hurry to treat the applications before it.

Comrade Salihu Lukman a former National Vice Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while speaking on Trust TV’s 30 Minutes programme recently, said due to the challenges in the APC, that warranted his leaving, another option was for the leaders of the new coalition to form a new party as “all the potential platforms are in danger”.

He said the coalition sponsors’ scanned the political environment and identified two clear options and that their first and best option was to register a new party.

With 104 groups seeking to be registered which verification processes were yet to commence, the chances of the opposition coming under the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), some said, appeared farfetched.

Comrade Lukman said he believed INEC was sitting on the registration of new parties.

“At the moment, and it’s no secret, we have already raised that alarm. More than 70 groups have submitted applications to INEC seeking registration. But INEC is sitting on them,” Lukman said.

He said that there was no indication of progress, as many (of the applicants) had not even received acknowledgement.

He said, “By law, once INEC acknowledges your application, and 90 days pass without formal registration, you’re considered registered. But what’s happening is that even acknowledgements are being withheld. That’s a way of stalling the process, and it undermines the law. INEC is supposed to be an independent body.

“But it’s all part of the larger problem of state capture, which this administration has perfected. The National Assembly has been muzzled, and INEC is being manipulated -perhaps not overtly, but clearly.

“The process started more than a year ago, nearly two years. Over 70 applications are just lying there. We’re aware of the risk: that if we file, INEC might simply pile ours with the rest. But we haven’t given up,” Lukman said.

An expedited action on the applications, a coalition member maintained, would have given the applicants enough time to put their houses in order ahead of 2027, especially as the date for primary elections may be set by early next year.

Another applicant, Barrister Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, who submitted an application to INEC on behalf of what he called the Patriotic Peoples Party (PPP) since March 28, reportedly said an acknowledged receipt of the application, where INEC explained that it will soon commence the process of registration and will notify the association of the date it will open its portal for that purpose.

Sections 222, 223 and 224 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and section 75 of the 2022 Electoral Act, talk about the powers of INEC on political parties.

Some of the applications before INEC, according to reported sources, included Patriotic Peoples Party, Pink Peoples Party, Arewa Consultative Party and Team New Nigeria Party.

Some lawyers, who spoke with our correspondents, expressed concerns that the hope for more political parties being registered may be dashed due to INEC’s delay.

Section 222 of the Nigerian Constitution provides thus: “No association by whatever name called shall function as a party, unless (a) the names and addresses of its national officers are registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

It is in line with this provision that some political associations have filed their applications to INEC seeking to be registered ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Barrister Okere, who put forward the application for the registration of the PPP on March 28, 2025, with the party’s symbol, addresses, membership, etc, said they received no response from INEC until May 5, 2025.

He said INEC informed them that it was yet to open the portal for the registration of new political parties and should watch out for when it would do so, which he described as unrealistic because it was not “my business to be visiting the site to know when the portal would be open.”

In the letter to INEC, they wrote: “We have read carefully the provisions of sections 221, 222, 223, and 224 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 75 of the Electoral Act 2022, and we are satisfied that all constitutional provisions have been complied with, and we have the pleasure to forward you this application for registration.

“Note that this application is made not later than 12 months before the next general election, which comes up in the first quarter of 2027.

“We undertake to pay all necessary official fees and to also comply with any regulatory guidelines/conditions by your commission, provided that such guidelines/conditions are not inconsistent with constitutional provisions.

“Kindly in line with your constitutional and statutory mandate in Section 75 (2) (3) and (4) of the Electoral Act 2022, consider the political association for registration and issue us letter of acknowledgement stating that all the necessary documents have been submitted to the commission’, while we wait for certificate of registrations within 60 days from the date of this letter.

“This letter serves as a pre-action notice in the event of unconstitutional denial.”

Reacting to the development, the national chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), Barrister Kenneth Udeze, said the possibility of registering new political parties was slim as, from June next year, election activities like primaries would have been concluded.

He said, as a matter of fact and law, no political party should be registered less than 12 months before the next general elections.

“I don’t foresee INEC registering new political parties as it stands because the existing 19 have not been consolidated and their existence is being threatened with deregistration over non-compliance with INEC guidelines and other issues.

“We need to talk to stakeholders in the existing political parties to team up; we don’t need to register new ones,” he added.

INEC, in its reaction, said despite receiving not less than 104 applications for new political parties from organisations and groups, it had not concluded their verification to determine if they were qualified to be registered or not.

Senior officials at the commission, who cannot be named as they were not authorised to comment on the matter, told Weekend Trust, that the Commission was reviewing the applications, some of which were submitted by law firms, registered associations and individuals.

One of the officials said contrary to what was being said by some persons, the Commission replied all the applicants within the time frame of the regulation.