By Ebenezer Mabinuola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received letters of intent from 110 political associations seeking registration as political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this on Wednesday during the commission’s second regular consultative meeting with media executives at its headquarters in Abuja.
He addressed recent claims that the commission is stalling the registration process due to political bias, stating, “Nothing can be further from the truth.” Yakubu stressed that INEC remains committed to impartiality and will handle all applications in accordance with the law and its 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
“For the record, the present Commission registered the largest number of political parties in Nigeria for the 2019 general election — 91 in total — and later deregistered over 70 of them as provided by law,” he noted.
He assured that all requests will be treated fairly, regardless of whether their promoters are “ordinary or prominent citizens.” INEC has already acknowledged all but six of the submitted applications, which it plans to process by the end of the week.
Yakubu also announced that the full list of associations seeking registration, along with their proposed names, acronyms, addresses, and names of protem Chairmen and Secretaries, has been published on INEC’s website and social media platforms for transparency.
Additionally, the INEC chairman revealed that the commission is now ready to conduct pending bye-elections and resume the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. “We are finalising the details, which will be made public in the next 24 hours,” he said.
Yakubu appealed for media support as the commission prepares for these key electoral activities, reiterating its commitment to transparency, fairness, and adherence to Nigeria’s electoral legal framework.
