The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 12 fresh applications had been submitted by associations seeking to register as political parties.
The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, made the disclosure in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.
This brings the total number of applications for party registration to 122.
This development followed the commission’s earlier disclosure on June 23 that it had received 110 applications.
INEC emphasised that the process remains transparent and fair to all applicants.
Olumekun said, “On Monday last week (23rd June 2025), the Commission announced that it had received applications from 110 associations seeking registration as political parties. We also assured Nigerians that we will be giving regular updates on the matter.
“The Commission is processing these applications transparently and in fairness to all applicants.
“Meanwhile, the Commission has since received 12 more applications for registration as political parties as of yesterday, Wednesday 2nd July 2025, bringing the total number of applications to 122.
“The list of the new applications by names of associations, their acronyms, addresses, and interim Chairmen and Secretaries has been uploaded to our website and other platforms for public information.
“We will respond to these applicants in line with the Electoral Act and Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022”.
INEC also noted that it had observed internal changes within some applying associations, including the replacement of an interim Secretary in one case due to defection to another association.
The commission urged all applicant associations to maintain consistent leadership and contact information throughout the registration process to avoid delays.
“However, the commission notes that one association has already changed its interim Secretary as a result of defection to another association.
“To facilitate the consideration of these applications, the commission appeals to associations to maintain consistency of their proposed leadership and addresses so that they do not, by their own actions, cause a delay to the timely consideration of their applications,” the statement added.
Credit: The Punch
