The Independent National Electoral Commission has expanded Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections by registering two new political parties.
The newly approved parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, bringing the total number of registered political parties in the country to 21.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, made the announcement on Thursday during the Commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja. He explained that the DLA scaled a stringent verification process, while the NDC’s registration followed a compliance order from the Federal High Court.
Despite welcoming the new entrants, Prof. Amupitan expressed strong concern over persistent leadership crises plaguing several parties, warning that such internal conflicts pose a danger to constitutional order.
“Our collective commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by the unfortunate and increasingly frequent leadership crises within political parties,” Amupitan stated.
He noted that these disputes often result in litigations that burden the judiciary and divert INEC from its core mandate. “Sometimes, you wonder whether one should even continue to register or retain some political parties, given the recurring leadership struggles,” he added.
The INEC boss also raised an alarm over declining voter participation, revealing a steady drop in presidential election turnout from 53.7% in 2011 to an all-time low of 26.7% in 2023.
“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 reaffirmed its preparedness for the upcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections on February 21, 2026, with 1,680,315 registered voters expected across 2,822 polling units.
INEC also confirmed ongoing preparations for the Ekiti State Governorship Election on June 20, 2026, and the Osun State Governorship Election on August 8, 2026. To ensure credible future polls, a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise will be conducted to clean up the register of 93.4 million entries by removing duplicates and deceased persons.
In his response, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to maintain strict neutrality and adhere to party constitutions. He renewed calls for sweeping electoral reforms, including the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and empowering INEC to conduct all elections nationwide.
Dantalle also advocated for mandatory real-time transmission of results and holding all elections on the same day to reduce costs and voter fatigue.
