As momentum builds toward the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded Nigeria’s political landscape with the registration of two new political parties — the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The development, announced on Thursday, raises the number of registered political parties in the country to 21 and comes amid growing concerns by the Commission over persistent leadership disputes within several existing parties.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this during the Commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties, where he formally welcomed the two new entrants into the political system.
According to him, the DLA successfully passed INEC’s rigorous verification process, while the NDC was registered in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court.
While acknowledging the importance of political plurality in a democracy, Prof. Amupitan expressed deep concern over what he described as an alarming rise in internal wrangling within political parties, warning that such conflicts pose a threat to constitutional order.
“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.
He noted that many of these disputes often end up in prolonged court battles, placing avoidable pressure on the judiciary and distracting INEC from its constitutional responsibilities.
“These disputes often spill into needless litigations that tax the judicial system and divert the Commission from its core mandate,” the INEC chairman added.
Amupitan lamented that the Commission is frequently drawn into party feuds, a situation he said undermines effective voter mobilisation and election preparedness.
“Each litigation consumes time and resources and distracts from the important work of mobilising voters. 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,” he said.
The INEC boss also sounded the alarm over declining voter turnout across the country, describing the trend as worrisome for Nigeria’s democracy.
He revealed that voter participation in presidential elections has dropped steadily from 53.7 per cent in 2011 to 43.6 per cent in 2015, declined further to 34.7 per cent in 2019, and plunged to an all-time low of 26.7 per cent in the 2023 general election.
“Technology alone cannot solve voter apathy,” Amupitan said. “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.”
On preparations for upcoming elections, INEC reaffirmed its readiness for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections scheduled for February 21, 2026. The Commission disclosed that 1,680,315 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots across 2,822 polling units.
The Commission also confirmed ongoing preparations for the Ekiti State Governorship Election slated for June 20, 2026, and the Osun State Governorship Election fixed for August 8, 2026.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, INEC announced plans to conduct a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to clean up the voters’ register, which currently contains 93.4 million entries. The exercise will focus on eliminating duplicate registrations and removing deceased persons from the roll.
In his response, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to remain neutral and strictly adhere to party constitutions to avoid allegations of bias.
Dantalle also renewed calls for far-reaching electoral reforms, including the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
“IPAC therefore reiterates its position that SIECs be scrapped and INEC empowered to conduct all elections nationwide, given its institutional expertise and capacity,” he said.
He further advocated making real-time transmission of election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal mandatory and proposed that all elections be held on the same day to reduce costs, curb bandwagon effects, and address voter fatigue.
