THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared 14 political associations to proceed to the next stage of the process to become fully registered political parties, bringing Nigeria one step closer to expanding its political landscape.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed the development in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Thursday following a meeting of the Commission.
Olumekun explained that INEC had received a total of 171 applications from groups seeking registration. Each was subjected to a rigorous screening process based on the provisions of Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022, and Clause 2 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
“Out of the total number of applications received, 14 associations have met the requirements to proceed to the next stage, while 157 have not,” Olumekun stated.
He added that INEC had published the names of the cleared associations on its official website and platforms for public awareness and would formally communicate with all the associations within 24 hours.
The associations cleared for the next stage are:
African Transformation Party (ATP)
All Democratic Alliance (ADA)
Advance Nigeria Congress (ANC)
Abundance Social Party (ASP)
African Alliance Party (AAP)
Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA)
Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA)
Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP)
Green Future Party (GFP)
Liberation People’s Party (LPP)
National Democratic Party (NDP)
National Reform Party (NRP)
Patriotic Peoples Alliance (PPA)
Peoples Freedom Party (PFP)
INEC has invited interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations to a crucial briefing on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at 11 a.m. at its headquarters in Abuja.
At the meeting, the Commission will outline the next steps, including the requirement for associations to upload additional information to INEC’s registration portal and undergo physical verification of all claims made during the application process.
“The final determination of the registrability of the associations as political parties will be made after the physical verification of all their claims to determine compliance with the legal framework,” Olumekun said.
INEC emphasized that the registration of political parties is a continuous process under Nigerian law, noting that it remains open to new applications that meet the legal criteria.
Earlier in June 2025, INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu confirmed that the Commission had received letters of intent from over 100 associations seeking to register as political parties and that all applications were being processed diligently.
“As of June 23, 2025, we have acknowledged all applications received except for six that were submitted recently, and those will be acknowledged before the end of the week,” Yakubu had said.
He urged Nigerians, especially groups seeking registration, to study and comply with the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022 available on its website.