The Independent National Electoral Commission says no amount of pressure and blackmail by a coalition of political groups seeking to register a new party ahead of the 2027 general elections can override its strict compliance with constitutional and regulatory requirements.
INEC questioned the coalition’s compliance with relevant legal and procedural requirements.
The electoral body cautioned that political parties’ registration was not merely a political declaration but a constitutional process governed by strict guidelines.
It further denied reports circulating online regarding the registration of two new political parties, the “Independent Democrats” and the “Peoples Democratic Movement.”
This is stated by Rotimi Oyekanmi, the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.
This reaction followed allegations by a number of opposition leaders who have accused the election umpire of refusing to register new political parties and raised issues of inclusiveness in the process.
Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, had earlier accused the INEC chairman of blocking the registration of new political parties.
Amaechi praised former Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman, for ensuring a transparent electoral process that led to the All Progressives Congress registration and eventual victory in 2015.
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He said, “The current chairman of INEC, if he were the chairman of INEC in 2015, we would not have won.
“That’s an important point. May God bless (Attahiru) Jega. Because the ground rules were clear. The current chairman of INEC can only be compared to Iwu.
“When we were to register APC, Jega opened the door and we complied with the registration requirements. He got APC registered. The current man, if you comply with all these, he would not register you.”
The movement of the people, a political group inspired by Fela Anikulapo, the legacy of late Afrobeat singer, sought registration from INEC as a political party.
Seun Kuti, the protem chairman of the party, said that Nigeria’s democracy cannot thrive when the political space is continuously restricted.
“Since 2018, no new political party has been registered in Nigeria, while 72 existing parties have been deregistered. This severe restriction limits citizens’ political choices and undermines true democratic representation.”
Other coalition leaders, including Babachir Lawal, a former secretary to the government of the Federation, and Salihu Lukman, a chieftain of the APC, had blamed INEC at different events over the non-registration of political parties ahead of the 2027 election.
Dismissing the allegations, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the claims are unfounded and stressed the importance of compliance with the commission’s regulations.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Oyekanmi mentioned that the commission was focused on the quality of applications rather than the quantity, emphasising that only those applicants who fully met the established criteria could be successfully registered.
He noted that it was more accurate to speak of successful applications, as some groups may withdraw their applications during the process.
According to him, applicants received regular updates from INEC regarding the status of their submissions within the stipulated timelines.
“Rather than trying to blackmail INEC with unfounded accusations, groups that applied for registration as political parties should submit authentic, verifiable documents and comply with all the requirements for registration.
“The number of applications that the commission receives is not as important as the number of applicants that can successfully satisfy the criteria for registration.
“It is thus more appropriate to talk about successful applications than the number of applications, since in any case, some applicants or associations may even withdraw their applications along the line.
“Applicants also receive constant communication from the commission about the status of their applications in line with the stipulated timeline,” Oyekanmi explained.
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He said the conditions for political party registration were outlined in the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
“The conditions for applying for registration as a political party are contained in our Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
“Among other things, an association seeking registration shall submit its letter of intent along with its proposed name, symbol and acronym not later than 12 months before a general election.
“If approved, the association shall make payment of an administrative fee as determined by the commission.
“Upon receipt of the evidence of payment, an access code shall be issued to the chairman or secretary of the association for the download and submission of some forms and documents within 30 days,” the CPS said.
