INEC Clears 14 Associations to Proceed in Political Party Registration Process

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 14 associations have successfully scaled the first hurdle in their bid to become registered political parties in Nigeria.

The decision was reached at the Commission’s regular meeting held on Thursday, 11th September 2025. Alongside preparations for forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the end-of-tenure Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), INEC reviewed reports from its Committee on the Review of Letters of Intent submitted by groups seeking party registration.

According to INEC, a total of 171 applications were received. Each application was assessed in line with Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022, and the Commission’s Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.

Out of this number, only 14 associations met the requirements to advance to the next stage, while 157 applications were rejected at this preliminary stage. INEC confirmed that all affected groups would be officially notified of the decision within the next 24 hours.

The 14 pre-qualified associations include:

1. African Transformation Party (ATP)

2. All Democratic Alliance (ADA)

3. Advance Nigeria Congress (ANC)

4. Abundance Social Party (ASP)

5. African Alliance Party (AAP)

6. Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA)

7. Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA)

8. Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP)

9. Green Future Party (GFP)

10. Liberation People’s Party (LPP)

11. National Democratic Party (NDP)

12. National Reform Party (NRP)

13. Patriotic Peoples Alliance (PPA)

14. Peoples Freedom Party (PFP)

INEC has invited the interim Chairmen and Secretaries of these associations to a briefing on Wednesday, 17th September 2025 at 11:00am at its headquarters in Abuja.

In addition to uploading relevant documentation via the Commission’s portal, INEC stated it will also physically verify all claims made by the associations in accordance with its regulations. The final decision on whether these associations will be formally registered as political parties will only be made after this verification process to ensure compliance with the legal framework.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun (mni), reaffirmed that political party registration remains a continuous process under the law. He emphasized that the Commission remains open to considering new applications from associations that meet the legal requirements.

📌 Reported by: Stone Reporters News
📩 info@stonereportersnews.com | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNews