The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that only 14 out of 171 associations seeking registration as political parties have met the requirements to proceed to the next stage. This decision was made after the commission’s regular meeting on Thursday in Abuja, where the applications were assessed based on their compliance with the provisions of Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and other relevant electoral laws.
According to INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the 14 associations that met the requirements include the African Transformation Party, All Democratic Alliance, and the Advance Nigeria Congress, among others. The list of pre-qualified associations has been published on the INEC website and other official platforms for public information.
The commission evaluated each application based on its prima facie compliance with the relevant laws, including Section 79 (1, 2, and 4) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Clause 2 (i and ii) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022. The 157 associations that failed to meet the requirements will be officially notified of the decision within the next 24 hours.
The interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations have been invited to a briefing on September 17 at the INEC headquarters in Abuja. The commission will physically verify all claims made by each association to determine compliance with the legal framework. This verification process is a crucial step in the party registration process, which is continuous under the law.
INEC also reviewed its preparations for forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the end-of-tenure Area Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory. The commission remains open to considering new applications that meet the criteria as provided by law. The development is significant as it highlights the commission’s efforts to ensure that only qualified associations are registered as political parties, promoting a transparent and credible electoral process.
