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By Myke Agunwa, Abuja
New political parties may be listed on the 2027 ballot paper as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 14 out of 157 applications for the next stage of consideration as a political party.
The commission arrived at the decision during its weekly regular meeting held on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at it’s headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting also reviewed preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections, as well as the Area Council polls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to a statement by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun on Thursday, a total of 171 applications were received.
He noted that each application was assessed against the provisions of Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
“Out of the total number of applications received, 14 associations have met the requirements to proceed to the next stage while 157 have not.
“The Commission has already published the names of the pre-qualified associations on its official website and other platforms, while inviting their interim Chairmen and Secretaries to a crucial briefing scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at INEC headquarters in Abuja” he said.
He added that the associations will be required to fulfill the next phase which includes uploading mandatory information to INEC’s online portal as well as undergoing physical verification of all claims, such as offices, membership registers, and financial records.
The Commission said only after this process will a final determination on full registration be made.
Olumekun emphasized that party registration is a continuous process under the law and that INEC remains open to fresh applications from associations that meet the stipulated requirements.
The country currently has about 18 registered political parties, but only a handful have proven competitive at national or state level.
Some political analysts have argued that while more parties could deepen participation and expand political choices, it could also pose challenges for INEC, such as longer ballot papers, complex logistics, and higher election costs.
With the registration process still ongoing, all eyes will now be on INEC’s verification exercise in the coming weeks to determine which of the 14 associations will eventually make it onto Nigeria’s official political party register.