Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded Nigeria’s political landscape with the registration of two new political parties – the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
This was as it strongly wondered why it should continue to register parties or have existing parties retain their registration if they keep having persistent leadership infighting, stating that crises in parties are a threat to the Constitution.
Speaking on Thursday at the first regular consultative meeting with political parties, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the registration of the DLA and NDC, bringing the number of registered political parties to 21.
While the DLA emerged successful following a rigorous verification process, the NDC was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
Despite the new additions, Prof. Amupitan expressed deep frustrations with the “growing spate of internal disputes” currently rocking several political parties.
He said, “Our collective commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by the unfortunate and increasingly frequent leadership crises within political parties.
“These disputes often spill into needless litigations that tax the judicial system and divert the Commission from its core mandate.”
The Chairman noted that being repeatedly joined as a party in internal squabbles has become a significant distraction.
“Each litigation consumes time and resources and distracts from the important work of mobilising voters.
Amupitan also lamented the “sobering trend” regarding voter turnout in Nigeria, revealing that presidential election data shows a progressive decline in participation, falling from 53.7% in 2011 to 43.6% in 2015, dropping further to 34.7% in 2019, and reaching a record low of 26.7% in the 2023 General Election.
“Technology alone cannot solve voter apathy. Citizens’ trust is often eroded by a perceived lack of democratic dividends or the fear that their voices do not matter. We must change this narrative together,” he declared.
The Commission again confirmed its readiness for the FCT Area Council Elections scheduled for February 21, 2026.
To ensure the integrity of these and the 2027 General Election, INEC announced a forthcoming nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to “sanitise” the register of 93.4 million voters from duplicates and deceased entries.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to remain a neutral arbiter and be “firmly” guided by party constitutions to avoid perceptions of bias.
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Dantalle also advocates for significant electoral reforms, including the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
“IPAC therefore reiterates its position that SIECs be scrapped and INEC empowered to conduct all elections nationwide, given its institutional expertise and capacity,” Dantalle said.
