The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially registered two additional political parties, increasing the total number of recognised political parties in Nigeria to 21.
INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan announced the development on Thursday during the commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja.
The newly registered parties are:
– Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA)
– Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
Amupitan explained that the registration process followed a thorough and multi-stage evaluation after INEC received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking to become political parties.
He outlined the steps:
– 14 associations passed the initial pre-qualification stage.
– 8 of those successfully uploaded their required documents via INEC’s dedicated online portal.
The eight were:
– All Democratic Alliance (ADA)
– Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA)
– Abundance Social Party (ASP)
– African Alliance Party (AAP)
– Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA)
– Green Future Party (GFP)
– National Democratic Party (NDP)
– Peoples Freedom Party (PFP)
– Following final assessment and verification of compliance with the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act, only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) fully met all legal requirements and was approved for registration.
Amupitan stated: “Accordingly, the commission has decided to register the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) as a political party.”
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) was registered pursuant to a court order. The chairman explained:
“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 commission has decided to comply with the order and it is being registered as a political party. Certificate of Registration will be handed over to the two new political parties in due course.”
The registration of DLA and NDC brings the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21, reflecting ongoing efforts by various groups to participate in the country’s multi-party democratic system ahead of future elections, including the 2027 general polls.
