The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved two new political parties—the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)—bringing the total number of registered parties in Nigeria to 21 as preparations for the 2027 general election intensify.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the recognition during the Commission’s first consultative meeting with political parties on Thursday. The DLA passed a rigorous verification process, while the NDC secured registration following compliance with a Federal High Court directive.
While welcoming the new parties, Prof. Amupitan expressed concern over the rising tide of leadership disputes within several political platforms. He warned that recurring internal crises threaten constitutional order, drain judicial resources, and divert the Commission from its core mandate of voter mobilisation.
“Our collective commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by increasingly frequent leadership crises within political parties,” he said. “These disputes often end up in court, consuming time and resources that should be dedicated to mobilising voters.”
Prof. Amupitan also raised alarm over declining voter participation nationwide. He noted that turnout in presidential elections has fallen steadily—from 53.7% in 2011 to 26.7% in 2023—citing eroding public trust and perceptions that citizens’ voices do not matter.
In preparation for upcoming polls, INEC confirmed readiness for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, with 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units. Plans are also underway for the Ekiti State Governorship Election on June 20, 2026, and the Osun State Governorship Election on August 8, 2026.
To safeguard the credibility of the 2027 General Election, the Commission announced a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to clean up the register of 93.4 million entries, removing duplicates and deceased persons.
Responding to INEC, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) National Chairman, Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, called for strict neutrality, adherence to party constitutions, and sweeping electoral reforms, including the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs). Dantalle also proposed mandatory real-time transmission of results to the IReV portal and conducting all elections on the same day to reduce costs, curb bandwagon effects, and prevent voter fatigue.
