By John Moses
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it has received 110 expressions of interest from various associations seeking registration as political parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this during the commission’s quarterly meeting with media executives on Wednesday in Abuja. He stressed that all applications would be evaluated strictly in accordance with the legal framework, regulations and guidelines set by the commission, regardless of the background or status of the applicants.
“As of Monday, we have received letters of intent from 110 associations desiring to register as political parties. Each of these is being carefully assessed under the relevant legal provisions,” Yakubu stated.
He added that, apart from six applications recently received, all others had been acknowledged, with plans to address the outstanding ones by the end of the week. A comprehensive list of the 110 associations – including their proposed names, acronyms, addresses, and details of their interim leaders – is to be published on the INEC website and shared across social media platforms.
Addressing concerns about INEC’s impartiality, Yakubu dismissed rumours suggesting the commission was favouring certain groups. He recalled similar unfounded accusations from 2013 when INEC approved the merger of several parties despite public scepticism.
“The commission has always acted within the law. In 2019, we had 91 registered parties and 73 presidential candidates. Following the election, we deregistered over 70 parties as permitted by law,” he noted.
The INEC Chairman further confirmed that preparations were in place to conduct all pending by-elections and resume the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Looking ahead to upcoming polls, he reminded political stakeholders that primaries for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections had concluded, with electoral boundaries and voter information now accessible online. He also noted that campaigns for the Anambra governorship election – scheduled for 8 August – had officially commenced on 11 June and would run until 6 November.
Yakubu called on media practitioners to closely monitor developments and to apply promptly for accreditation once the process for Anambra begins. In response, Alhassan Yahaya, President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, commended INEC for its transparency and urged the commission to prioritise the safety of journalists covering the elections.
