The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that only 14 out of 171 associations that applied to be registered as political parties in Nigeria have passed the first stage of screening.
The announcement was made in Abuja on Thursday by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, after the commission’s weekly meeting.
According to Olumekun, 157 groups failed to meet the requirements set out in the 1999 Constitution, the 2022 Electoral Act, and INEC’s guidelines for political parties.
The 14 associations that qualified to move forward are:
- African Transformation Party (ATP)
- All Democratic Alliance (ADA)
- Advance Nigeria Congress (ANC)
- Abundance Social Party (ASP)
- African Alliance Party (AAP)
- Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA)
- Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA)
- 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)
- Peoples Freedom Party (PFP)
Olumekun explained that INEC carefully reviewed all applications to ensure they complied with the law. He added that the commission will now carry out physical verification of the claims made by the successful associations before making a final decision on whether they can be officially registered as political parties.
The interim chairmen and secretaries of the 14 associations have been invited to a briefing at INEC headquarters in Abuja on September 17.
Olumekun stressed that the process of party registration in Nigeria is continuous, meaning other associations that meet the requirements in the future can still apply.
“This is an ongoing process under the law, and INEC remains open to considering new applications as long as they meet the legal criteria,” he said.
The full list of pre-qualified associations has been published on the commission’s official website.
