The Independent National Electoral Commission has cleared 14 associations seeking registration as political parties out of a total of 171 applications submitted.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement issued after the Commission’s meeting on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
According to him, the decision came after INEC reviewed several issues, including preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections, the end-of-tenure Area Council poll in the Federal Capital Territory, and reports on fresh requests for party registration.
Olumekun explained that the 14 successful associations scaled the preliminary hurdle by satisfying the provisions of Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as INEC’s 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
He noted that the remaining 157 applications were turned down for failing to meet the minimum requirements. The affected groups, he said, would receive formal notifications within 24 hours.
The list of pre-qualified associations has been published on the Commission’s official website and other channels. Their interim chairmen and secretaries are also expected to attend a crucial briefing at INEC headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
INEC added that it would conduct physical verification of the claims made by the shortlisted groups before arriving at a final decision on whether they would be registered as full-fledged political parties.
