Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded Nigeria’s political landscape with the registration of two new parties – the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) – bringing the total number of registered parties to 21.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the registrations on Thursday during the first regular consultative meeting with political parties. The DLA was registered following a rigorous verification process, while the NDC’s registration complied with a Federal High Court order.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Amupitan expressed frustration over the “growing spate of internal disputes” within many parties, noting that leadership crises often lead to protracted litigation that diverts INEC from its core mandate of organising elections.
“Our collective commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by the unfortunate and increasingly frequent leadership crises within political parties,” he said. “Sometimes, you wonder whether one should even continue to register or retain some political parties, given the recurring leadership struggles and court orders declaring different individuals as party leaders.”
The INEC Chairman also highlighted the importance of citizen trust in the democratic process, stating that 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 said.
Prof. Amupitan confirmed INEC’s readiness for the FCT Area Council Elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, with 1,680,315 registered voters across 2,822 polling units. He also outlined preparations for the Ekiti Governorship Election on June 20, 2026, and the Osun Governorship Election on August 8, 2026, including a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to “sanitise” the register of 93.4 million voters.
In his remarks, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to remain neutral, strictly follow party constitutions, and implement electoral reforms such as abolishing State Independent Electoral Commissions and mandating real-time transmission of election results to the IReV portal.
