Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Forum of Associations Seeking Registration as Political Parties (FASRAPP) has rejected the exclusion of 157 political associations from registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This was contained in a press statement signed by Mr. John Nwobodo, Chairman of the forum and Protem National Chairman of the I Love Nigeria Party, and Mr. Godwin Udibe, Secretary of the forum and Protem National Chairman of the Patriots Party.
In the statement on Friday, the forum urged INEC to reduce the duration for the preliminary evaluation of “letters of intent.”
The statement reads in part: “The Forum of Associations Seeking Registration as Political Parties (FASRAPP) has come across a press statement dated 11th September 2025, issued on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Sam Olumekun, mni, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, disclosing that only 14 out of 171 political associations that submitted letters of intent prequalified to proceed to the application stage. This means that 157 associations have been excluded.
“FASRAPP is alarmed at this development and wonders what could be the basis for such selective prequalification.
“While the forum awaits letters from the Commission conveying its reasons for disqualifying 157 associations, it is pertinent to state that INEC has flagrantly abused its own guidelines, which mandate it to, within 90 days of receiving a letter of intent, convey in writing provisional approval of the availability and suitability, or otherwise, of the association’s proposed name, symbol, and acronym.”
FASRAPP noted that INEC unnecessarily allowed letters of intent to pile up, adding that most of the 171 associations submitted their letters as far back as 2024 or earlier.
The forum alleged that, despite its legal obligations, INEC sat on the letters of intent for more than a year without response.
“We are of the view that 90 days merely to reserve a name is outrageous. There are just 19 political parties in the country today, and therefore the political parties database has little content. The Corporate Affairs Commission, with its vast database, reserves names within five minutes, and company registration can be concluded the same day.
“On the contrary, INEC thrives on analogue, archaic, and outdated practices, deliberately so, to frustrate citizens’ fundamental rights to form and belong to political parties of their choice,” the statement added.
FASRAPP further alleged that INEC approved five political associations with discrepancies in their information as published in its earlier updates.
“There are instances where the same set of promoters submitted multiple letters of intent for different associations. There are also instances of names not previously on INEC’s list surfacing among the prequalified associations,” the forum stated.
It maintained that while the grounds for excluding 157 associations remain unclear, “the criteria for evaluation at the stage of provisional approval are strictly the name, symbol, and acronym of the political associations.”
According to the forum, INEC’s guidelines require a political association intending to register as a political party to submit a letter of intent along with its proposed name, symbol, and acronym.
“INEC is required to convey approval of the availability and suitability of the proposed name, symbol, and acronym within 90 days of receiving the letter of intent. Where an association is not prequalified, it presupposes that the name, symbol, or acronym is unavailable or unsuitable, or that one or more necessary particulars—such as address, name of the Protem National Chairman, or National Secretary—were not indicated on the letter of intent,” the statement noted.
The forum said members of FASRAPP will meet to appraise INEC’s reasons for the mass disqualification once officially communicated, and will then decide on their next steps.
