The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has cleared 14 political associations to proceed to the next stage of registration as political parties.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday after the Commission’s regular meeting.
Olumekun said the 14 associations met the initial requirements for the next stage of registration as political parties, while 157 others failed to scale through the preliminary stage.
According to him, the Commission considered the report of its Committee on the Review of Letters of Intent from the 171 associations seeking registration.
He explained that each application was assessed based on compliance with Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022, and Clause 2 of INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
“The Commission shall officially communicate the decision arising from today’s meeting to all the associations within the next 24 hours,” Olumekun said.
He added that the list of the 14 pre-qualified associations has been published on INEC’s website and other official platforms for public information.
INEC also invited interim chairmen and secretaries of the successful associations to a briefing at its Abuja headquarters on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, to outline the next steps.
The Commission said it will physically verify all claims made by the groups in line with its regulations before making a final determination on their registration.
Olumekun stressed that political party registration is a continuous process under the law and assured that INEC remains open to fresh applications that meet the stipulated legal requirements.
