Our Reporter, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 14 political associations have successfully scaled the first stage in the ongoing process of registering new political parties in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, September 11, 2025, by the Commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, following its regular meeting in Abuja.
According to the Commission, a total of 171 applications were submitted by associations seeking registration. Each request was assessed based on compliance with Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 (1, 2, and 4) of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as Clause 2 (i and ii) of INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
Out of these applications, 14 associations met the requirements to proceed to the next stage, while 157 did not. INEC said all affected groups would be formally notified of the decision within 24 hours.
The 14 pre-qualified associations are:
- All Democratic Alliance Party (ADA)
- Action for Transparent Politics (ATP)
- 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)
- Patriotic Peoples Alliance (PPA)
- Peoples Freedom Party (PFP)
- Zuma Reform (ZR)
INEC further noted that the interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations have been invited to a briefing scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at its headquarters in Abuja.
The Commission further explained that, beyond uploading the required details to its portal, each association’s claims would undergo physical verification in line with the regulations. The final decision on their registrability as political parties will be taken after this verification process.
INEC also emphasized that party registration remains a continuous process under the law and assured that it remains open to new applications from associations that meet the stipulated criteria.
