AS the 2027 general elections draw nearer, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that 151 political associations have so far submitted applications seeking registration as political parties.
The Commission announced it has begun shortlisting qualified associations for the next stage of registration. Eight new applications were received just last week, according to INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun.
“Details of the latest requests, including proposed names, acronyms, logos, interim leadership, and office addresses, are now available on our website for public scrutiny,” Olumekun stated.
INEC says it will publish the shortlist after the August 16 by-elections.
INEC also confirmed that the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) will resume this month, beginning with online pre-registration on August 18, while in-person registration at 811 centres nationwide will start on August 25, running until August 30, 2026.
The registration centres include all 774 local government offices and 37 state/FCT offices. A CVR Live Locator tool to help Nigerians find nearby registration centres will be activated on August 17 via https://cvr.inecnigeria.org/locator.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised INEC for its delay in recognising the party’s new leadership.
In a July 29 letter signed by ADC founder Ralph Nwosu and Secretary Sai’d Abdullahi, the party notified INEC of the new National Working Committee (NWC), approved during a recent NEC meeting monitored by the Commission.
However, ADC’s Deputy National Welfare Secretary, David Itopa, expressed frustration over INEC’s failure to update its portal.
“INEC supervised the meeting but has yet to effect the leadership change. Nigerians should ask INEC why this delay persists,” he said.
In a related development, former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, has raised concerns over the wave of early political campaigns and endorsements ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking on Arise News, Ejiofor warned that premature politicking by parties like the APC and ADC could worsen national insecurity, which he claims is “80 per cent politically motivated.”
“INEC must do more than issue warnings. It should enforce existing rules and penalise political parties engaging in campaigns when the embargo has not been lifted,” he said.
Ejiofor also called on President Bola Tinubu and political leaders to prioritise governance over electoral ambition, warning that the country’s overstretched security forces cannot afford additional politically-induced unrest.
