2027: Political parties may swell to 32 as INEC considers 14 for registration

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has indicated that 14 out of the 171 associations that applied for registration as political parties may have scaled the initial hurdle of meeting its requirements.

The Commission disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday night.

According to the statement signed by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, the 14 associations were “assessed on the basis of their prima facie compliance with the provisions of Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended); Section 79 (1, 2 and 4) of the Electoral Act, 2022; and Clause 2 (i and ii) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.”

The development could increase the number of political parties eligible to field candidates in the forthcoming general elections to 32.

Checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed that there are currently 18 registered political parties in the country.

The 14 associations that have so far met the Commission’s requirements for registration as political parties are:

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African Transformation Party (ATP)

All Democratic Alliance (ADA)

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)

National Reform Party (NRP)

Patriotic Peoples Alliance (PPA)

Peoples Freedom Party (PFP)

However, INEC stressed that for the 14 associations that scaled the first hurdle, registration is still subject to further verification. The Commission added a proviso: “The final determination of the registrability of the associations as political parties will be made after the physical verification of all their claims to determine compliance with the legal framework.”

The statement also revealed that the interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations have been invited to a briefing scheduled for Wednesday, 17th September 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE