INEC has registered two new political parties, DLA and NDC, as preparations intensify for the 2027 General Election
The Independent National Electoral Commission has approved the registration of two new political parties as part of preparations for the 2027 General Election.
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INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the decision in Abuja on Thursday during the commission’s first consultative meeting with political parties for 2026.
The newly registered parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
Amupitan said the Democratic Leadership Alliance emerged after a rigorous screening of 171 associations that applied for registration.
He explained that the associations were assessed under Sections 222 and 223 of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC guidelines.
Out of the 171 applicants, only 14 associations met the initial prequalification requirements.
Eight of them successfully uploaded documents on INEC’s registration portal.
They included the All Democratic Alliance, Citizens Democratic Alliance, Abundance Social Party, African Alliance Party, Democratic Leadership Alliance, Green Future Party, National Democratic Party, and Peoples Freedom Party.
Amupitan said only two associations reached the final assessment stage.
He added that the Democratic Leadership Alliance fully complied with all statutory requirements.
INEC therefore approved its registration with effect from February 5, 2026.
The chairman also disclosed that the Nigeria Democratic Congress was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
The court, sitting in Lokoja, ordered INEC to register the party in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025.
Amupitan said certificates of registration would be issued to both parties in due course.
Nigeria now has 20 registered political parties.
The INEC chairman warned parties against leadership crises and excessive litigation.
He said internal disputes erode public trust and distract the commission from its constitutional duties.
Amupitan also urged political parties to mobilise supporters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards before the February 10 deadline in the FCT.
He warned that vote buying would attract strict legal consequences.
INEC has also finalised the timetable for the 2027 elections.
Amupitan disclosed that a nationwide voter revalidation exercise would soon begin.
He said the exercise would remove duplicate and non-citizen entries from the register.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council urged INEC to remain impartial, firm, and transparent ahead of the elections.
IPAC Chairman, Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, congratulated Amupitan on his appointment.
He called on INEC to provide a level playing field for all political parties.
Dantalle also urged strict adherence to party constitutions when recognising party executives.
He advised parties to resolve internal disputes through IPAC mechanisms rather than litigation.
IPAC further called for mandatory real-time transmission of election results.
The council also renewed its call for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions.
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It urged the National Assembly to fast-track amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws ahead of 2027.
