The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 14 political associations to proceed in their quest for registration as political parties, while 157 others were denied for failing to meet basic requirements.
The decision was reached during the commission’s regular meeting on Thursday, which also reviewed preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the end-of-tenure Area Council polls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement signed by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission confirmed it had received 171 applications from groups 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,” Olumekun explained.
The clearance of 14 associations marks the first step in the rigorous registration process, though INEC stressed that full party recognition will only be granted to groups that satisfy all legal and administrative requirements.
