Politics
INEC Accused Of Delaying Registration Of 104 New Parties Including Anti-Tinubu Coalition
It was gathered that the applications were filed in the aftermath of the 2023 general elections to allow more platforms to participate in Nigeria’s future electoral processes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to act on the applications of 104 groups and associations seeking registration as political parties, several months after they were submitted.
It was gathered that the applications were filed in the aftermath of the 2023 general elections to allow more platforms to participate in Nigeria’s future electoral processes.
Among the groups seeking registration is the National Opposition Coalition Group, which is reportedly planning to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
The coalition has proposed to float a new political party named the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as its platform for the 2027 contest.
Meanwhile, the group is wary of partnering with existing political parties, alleging that many of them may have been compromised or infiltrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Daily Trust reports that despite the urgency expressed by some of the applicants, INEC appears to be dragging its feet.
Comrade Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that Nigeria’s political space is facing a crisis of representation, stressing that forming a new political party may be the only viable alternative for opposition coalitions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Trust TV, Lukman explained that internal issues within the APC led to his departure and warned that “all the potential platforms are in danger.”
He said leaders of the new coalition had explored the political landscape and identified two options — foremost among them, registering a new party.
However, with over 104 political associations awaiting registration and no sign that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun verification, chances of unifying opposition under a new umbrella such as the proposed Alliance Democratic Alliance seem slim.
“More than 70 groups have submitted applications to INEC. But INEC is sitting on them,” Lukman alleged, accusing the electoral body of deliberately stalling the process.
“Acknowledgement letters are not even being issued. That’s a violation of the law,” he added, noting that the Electoral Act mandates INEC to act within a 90-day window after acknowledging applications.
According to Lukman, the delay is part of a broader issue of “state capture” where institutions like the National Assembly and INEC are no longer functioning independently.
Barrister Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, representing the proposed Patriotic Peoples Party (PPP), said he submitted his application to INEC on March 28, 2025, but only received a response in May.
The response, he said, merely informed him to “await the opening of the registration portal”—a condition he described as vague and unaccountable.
In his formal letter to INEC, Okere stated that the PPP had met all constitutional requirements under Sections 221 to 224 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 75 of the Electoral Act 2022.
He demanded an official acknowledgment and warned of legal action if denied registration without just cause.
Some coalition members argue that had INEC expedited the process, emerging parties would have had sufficient time to organize ahead of 2027 primaries, which may begin early next year.
But Barrister Kenneth Udeze, National Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), cast doubt on the feasibility of registering new parties.
He argued that by mid-2026, electoral activities like party primaries will be in full swing, leaving little room for new entrants. “Legally, no party can be registered within 12 months of a general election,” he noted.
INEC officials, speaking anonymously, said the commission is still reviewing the applications and has responded to many within the legal timeframe.
One official said the commission is developing a portal to automate the process and will announce its launch soon.
On the speculation that INEC fears litigation from deregistered parties, the official clarified: “The commission hasn’t made any decision on deregistration yet, but any action taken will follow legal guidelines.”
In 2020, INEC deregistered 74 of the 91 existing political parties due to poor performance in the 2019 elections.
The Chairman Mahmood Yakubu cited failure to win 25% of votes in a state or local government area, or to secure a single seat at any level, as grounds for deregistration.
Meanwhile, only 18 parties survived—later joined by the Youth Party (YP) and Boot Party (BP) through court orders—bringing the total to 19.
Critics argue that many of the surviving parties are now inactive, with only a handful maintaining political relevance.
Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, said all applicants must meet clearly defined criteria before registration.
“If there are issues with their documents or information, they must be resolved. Applicants are free to seek updates from the commission.”
Experts remain divided on the issue. Prof. Adele Jinadu, a former president of the International Political Science Association, said that in a multi-party democracy, there is no cap on the number of parties, provided legal requirements are met.
Dr. Dauda Garuba of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) agreed, adding that parties should be allowed to operate freely if compliant with the law.
But Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, Executive Director of the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), argued that INEC’s role should not include registering parties.
“The right to associate is constitutionally guaranteed. INEC’s responsibility should be limited to setting criteria for appearing on the ballot.”
He noted that many associations seeking registration are simply creating Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for political bargaining. “Parties don’t need to go national. They can focus on local elections. Most lack the capacity to manage a national campaign anyway.”
Rigging Fears Grip Edo, Kaduna as Opposition Alleges Prewritten Results, Armed Thugs, and Compromised INEC Officials
Fears of large scale manipulation have cast a shadow over Saturday’s by elections in Edo and Kaduna States, as opposition parties and election monitors allege prewritten results in Government House, deployment of “notorious” INEC officials, plans to use the police to lock out agents from collation centres, and the recruitment of thousands of armed thugs to intimidate voters. While the ruling party has denied wrongdoing, the allegations have ignited concerns that the August 16 polls could become another flashpoint for Nigeria’s crisis of electoral trust.
In Abuja, the Coalition of Observer Groups in Nigeria has expressed deep concern over what it described as credible reports of plans to undermine the Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia Federal Constituency elections by the APC. In a st atement signed by the group’s chairman, Comrade Simon Diogu, the coalition warned that tactics similar to those alleged during the September 2024 governorship election, including the unlawful preparation of duplicate result sheets before collation and the use of the police to harass and intimidate opposition party members and voters, could resurface.
The September 2024 governorship election left what the group called a lingering crisis of confidence after allegations of duplicate results and questionable collation practices went unresolved by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The coalition cautioned that any repetition of such acts would further erode public trust in the electoral system and would pose a growing threat to the stability of Nigeria’s democracy.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that results are being written in Government House ahead of Saturday’s vote. He further claimed that “squadrons of police will be brought in on Friday to prevent us from entering the collation centre on Saturday.”
The PDP chieftain also raised alarm over the perceived deployment of two controversial INEC officials from Rivers State, Suleiman Blessing, Electoral Officer for Ovia North East, and Williams Alamina, Electoral Officer for Ovia South West, both of whom, he alleged, “played very uncomfortable roles during the September 2024 Edo State governorship elections.”
“This is what INEC, APC and the Police did during the governorship elections last year and they want to do the same thing again. If they succeed then Nigerians should just forget about elections in 2027 as they will do the same thing then ask us to go to court,” he said.
The coalition urged Governor Monday Okpebholo, whose home constituency is Edo Central, to publicly condemn alleged threats made by his supporters against opposition candidates on social media, and to guarantee peaceful, violence free elections in his capacity as the state’s Chief Security Officer.
In Kaduna State, the African Democratic Congress and the Social Democratic Party have accused the state’s APC led government of assembling a massive operation to sabotage the by elections, distort the process and steal the elections.
The two parties, contesting in Chikun Kajuru Federal Constituency and state constituencies in Sabon Gari and Zaria, alleged that about 4,000 thugs have been recruited from within and outside Kaduna to intimidate voters and opposition party officials at polling units and collation centres.
They further claimed that senior INEC officials and technical staff are being compromised with inducements, including allocations of land, and that each of the state’s 23 local government councils has been compelled to contribute N30 million to an election sabotage fund. An additional N4.8 billion, they alleged, has been provided from Abuja for vote buying, bribing electoral officers and corrupting security agents.
The coalition of the two parties named a serving Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and a disgraced former senator notorious for orchestrating electoral violence as key figures in the alleged plot.
Both in Edo and Kaduna, opposition groups and election monitors have called on INEC to act swiftly to protect the integrity of the process, including replacing allegedly compromised officials, ensuring open and verifiable collation, and guaranteeing security for voters and party agents.
Neither INEC nor the Nigerian Police have responded to these allegations.
Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has lambasted the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, stressing that he is too desperate to lead Nigeria as a president.
In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, Abure said Obi created the crisis in the Labour Party.
According to him, Obi’s desperation to control the soul of the party had made him go haywire.
Abure accused the former Anambra State governor of receiving so much goodwill from the party leadership and turning around to pay them with evil.
“This is why we have maintained that Peter Obi lacks the competence, character and capacity to actualise the vision of a new Nigeria.
“Nigerians should not forget in a hurry that it was Peter Obi that created the crisis in the Labour Party which he is now citing as a reason why people should not vote for the party,” Abure said.
Abure said this in response to Obi’s directives ahead of the August 16 by-elections across the country.
Ekwutosblog recalls that Obi had asked his supporters to back the candidates of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, during the forthcoming by-elections across some states in the country.
Former Kaduna State governor and a key member of the opposition coalition, Nasir El-Rufai, has urged the people of the state to vote for the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Saturday’s local government election.
El-Rufai said electorates should vote for candidates of the SDP in Zaria and Sabon Gari Local Government Areas of the state.
His call comes amid his participation in the opposition coalition that recently adopted the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
The coalition, made up of eminent Nigerians, has vowed to ensure that the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC, loses in 2027.
However, El-Rufai, in a video on his Facebook page, wrote: “This is Nasir El-Rufai, your former governor of Kaduna State.
“I’m making this message to appeal to all our voters in Zaria and Sabon Gari Local Government to come out massively on Saturday to vote for the candidates of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
“The party with the symbol of the white horse, white stallion for the Zaria Ekweri state assembly and Basawa constituency in Sabon Gari Local Government.
“The candidate is Nuhu Abdullah Isada of the Social Democratic Party and Dambala Usman of the SDP for Basawa constituency, please come out and vote massively for these two candidates.”
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