As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has received applications from no fewer than 110 political groups seeking registration as political parties.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, shared this information on Wednesday during the second regular consultative meeting with media executives held in Abuja.
One of the most talked-about applications came from the Movement of the People (MOP), a group backed by Seun Kuti, the son of the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Other applicants include the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) led by Chief Akin Ricketts, and the Obidient Peoples Party, promoted by Barry Avotu Johnson.
Interestingly, three different applications were sent in by one individual, Malam Idris A. Abdulkarim. The names of his groups are New Green Generation Coalition Party (NGGCP), New Green Congress (NGC), and New Green Coalition Party (NGGCP). All three have the same logo and office address in Kubwa, Abuja.
Professor Yakubu noted that INEC will treat each application equally, without considering the popularity or status of the promoters behind the associations.
He said, “Clearly, one of the topical issues on election administration in our country today is the status of the letters of intent we received from associations seeking registration as political parties amidst partisan insinuations in some quarters that the Commission is equivocating on the matter in a manner that compromises our independence.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. Nigerians may recall that the same unfounded accusation was made under similar circumstances in 2013 that the Commission was not keen on the proposed merger of political parties because INEC had ‘merged with the ruling party’ at the time.
“For the records, the present Commission registered the largest number of political parties in Nigeria strictly following the provision of the electoral legal framework. For the 2019 General Election, there were 91 political parties and 73 presidential candidates. The Commission was criticised in some quarters for registering too many political parties.
“After the election, the Commission also deregistered over 70 political parties as provided by law. We wish to reassure Nigerians that under the current situation, we will continue to be guided by law and act with fairness to all associations seeking registration as political parties. We will treat all requests fairly irrespective of the status of their promoters, be they ordinary or prominent citizens. Nigerians will be fully briefed of the actions taken by the Commission every step of the way.
“As of Monday, 23rd June 2025, the Commission has received letters of intent from 110 associations that wish to register as political parties. We are diligently processing the requests in line with the procedures outlined in the Law as well as our Regulations and Guidelines.
“We have acknowledged all requests received so far except six of them received recently which will be done before the end of the week. For emphasis, I wish to inform Nigerians, particularly those interested in registering new political parties, that the handbook containing the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022 is already available on the Commission’s website.
“Meanwhile, the Commission is today releasing the full list of the 110 associations seeking registration as political parties indicating their proposed names, acronyms, addresses and the names of their protem Chairmen and Secretaries. For transparency and public information, the list will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms shortly while hard copies are included in your folders for this meeting,” he stated.
Yakubu also expressed the commission’s readiness for the forthcoming Governorship Election in Anambra State, as well as the next February Area Council Polls in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
He announced that the Commission is now in a position to conduct outstanding bye-elections and to resume the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration CVR exercise.
“The Commission met yesterday and we are finalizing the details of the two activities which will be made public in the next 24 hours,” he stated.
