The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that 14 political associations have passed the first hurdle in their bid for registration as political parties, while 157 others failed to meet the requirements.
The decision was taken at the commission’s regular meeting on Thursday, during which it also reviewed preparations for the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the end-of-tenure Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, INEC disclosed that it received 171 applications from associations seeking party registration.
“Each request was assessed based on its 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 statement read.
Of the applications, 14 associations satisfied the preliminary legal and procedural criteria to move forward, while 157 did not. INEC said it will officially notify all applicants of its decision within 24 hours.
Olumekun added that the interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations have been invited to a briefing scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at INEC headquarters in Abuja.
He, however, added that scaling the initial stage does not guarantee registration. “In addition to uploading the required information to the portal, the commission will physically verify all claims by each association. The final determination of their registrability will be made after this verification to ensure full compliance with the legal framework,” he said.
