The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered two new political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, increasing the number of officially recognised parties in Nigeria to 21.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this during the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
The newly registered parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the National Democratic Congress.
Addressing party chairmen and secretaries at the meeting, Prof. Amupitan explained that the two registrations followed different processes. He said the Democratic Leadership Alliance was registered after meeting all the statutory and administrative requirements prescribed by the commission for the formation of a political party.
In contrast, the National Democratic Congress was registered in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja.
“While the Democratic Leadership Alliance satisfied the administrative and constitutional benchmarks set by the Commission, the National Democratic Congress is being brought on board in strict obedience to a judicial pronouncement,” the INEC chairman said.
He also assured the leadership of both parties that their certificates of registration would be formally presented to them at a brief ceremony to be announced soon.
