Ahead of the 2027 general election, over 100 organisations and groups have applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration as political parties.
Impeccable sources at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja disclosed this to LEADERSHIP Weekend on the condition of anonymity.
They, however, said the electoral body was still verifying the applications to ascertain whether the organisations or groups were qualified to be registered as political parties.
One of the officials told our correspondent that; “we have received over 100 applications from organisations and groups for registration as political parties.
“However, the Commission has not concluded the verification process to determine whether they are qualified to be registered or not. For now, that is the state of affairs as far as the registration of new political parties is concerned.”
Legal Framework For Political Party Registration
Sections 222, 223 and 224 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and section 75 of the 2022 Electoral Act make provision for the registration of political parties.
Section 222 provides that no association by whatever name called shall function as a party, unless:
(a) the names and addresses of its national officers are registered with INEC; (b) the membership of the association is open to every citizen of Nigeria irrespective of his place of origin, circumstance of birth, sex, religion or ethnic grouping; (c) a copy of its constitution is registered in the principal office of INEC in such form as may be prescribed by INEC; (d) any alteration in its registered constitution is also registered in the principal office of INEC within thirty days of the making of such alteration (e) the name of the association, its symbol or logo does not contain any ethnic or religious connotation or give the appearance that the activities of the association are confined to a part only of the geographical area of Nigeria; and
(f) the headquarters of the association is situated in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Section 223 states that the constitution and rules of a political party shall: (a) provide for the periodical election on a democratic basis of the principal officers and members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party; and
(b) ensure that the members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party reflect the federal character of Nigeria…
Section 224 provides that, the programme as well as the aims and objects of a political party shall conform with the provisions of Chapter II of this Constitution.
On the other hand, Section 75 of Electoral Act, 2022 states that: (1) Any political association that complies with the provisions of the Constitution and this Act for the purposes of registration shall be registered as a political party : PROVIDED, however, that such application for registration as a political party shall be duly submitted to INEC not later than 12 months before a general election.
“(2) The Commission (INEC) shall, on receipt of the documents in fulfilment of the conditions stipulated by the Constitution, immediately issue the applicant with a letter of acknowledgement stating that all the necessary documents had been submitted to the Commission.
“(3) If the association has not fulfilled all the conditions under this section, the commission shall within 90 days from the receipt of its application notify the association in writing stating the reasons for non-registration.
“(4) A political association that meets the conditions stipulated in the Constitution and this Act shall be registered by the Commission as a political party within 60 days from the date of receipt of the application, and if after the 60 days such association is not registered by the Commission, unless the Commission informs the association to the contrary, it shall be deemed to have been registered…”
Concerns Over Registration of Political Parties
Meanwhile, there have been concerns, especially from the opposition over the fate of applications for new political parties with the former minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, accusing INEC of stopping the registration of new political parties.
Amaechi who was a guest on AriseTV Prime Time programme recently, said INEC had already taken sides, adding that the Commission under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had ruled out registration of the new party ahead of 2027.
He said, “The current chairman of INEC, if he was INEC chairman in 2015, we wouldn’t have won. May God bless Jega…the current man won’t register you .Already he is stopping parties from being registered.”
Also, a former national vice chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman shared this view when he appeared on Trust TV’s 30 Minutes programme.
He said: “At the moment, and it’s no secret, we have already raised that alarm. More than 70 groups have submitted applications to INEC seeking registration. But INEC is sitting on them.
“By law, once INEC acknowledges your application, and 90 days pass without formal registration, you’re considered registered. But what’s happening is that even acknowledgements are being withheld. That’s a way of stalling the process, and it undermines the law. INEC is supposed to be an independent body.
“The process started more than a year ago, nearly two years. Over 70 applications are just lying there. We’re aware of the risk: that if we file, INEC might simply pile ours with the rest. But we haven’t given up.”
