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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the registration of two new political parties, the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, announced the decision on Thursday in Abuja during the commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties.
Amupitan said the approvals followed a rigorous screening process that began after INEC received 171 applications from associations seeking registration as political parties.
He explained that only 14 associations scaled the initial pre-qualification stage, out of which eight successfully uploaded the required documents on INEC’s portal.
The groups included the All Democratic Alliance, Citizens Democratic Alliance, Abundance Social Party, African Alliance Party, Democratic Leadership Alliance, Green Future Party, National Democratic Party and the Peoples Freedom Party.
According to him, a final assessment and verification exercise showed that only the DLA fully met the constitutional and Electoral Act requirements for registration, and the commission subsequently approved its registration.
Amupitan added that the Nigeria Democratic Congress was also registered in compliance with a court order.
He said a Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, in suit number FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 between Barr. Takori Mohammed Sanni and others v. INEC: the commission was directed to register the party.
“The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi state, in suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 between Barr Takori Mohammed Sanni & Ors v. INEC ordered the commission to register Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.”
The INEC chairman said the commission had decided to obey the ruling and complete the registration of the NDC, adding that certificates of registration would be issued to both parties in due course.
He cautioned political parties against internal leadership crises, warning that persistent disputes and litigations were distracting the Commission from its core mandate of conducting free, fair and credible elections.
