According to INEC, 14 associations met the requirements to proceed to the next stage, while 157 others failed to satisfy the conditions.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 14 associations have scaled the first hurdle in the process of registering as political parties in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Thursday, by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said following its regular meeting, the Commission disclosed that it received a total of 171 requests for registration.
Olumekun noted that each application was evaluated based on compliance with Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 of the Electoral Act 2022, and the Commission’s 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
According to INEC, 14 associations met the requirements to proceed to the next stage, while 157 others failed to satisfy the conditions.
The list of pre-qualified associations has been published on the Commission’s website and other official platforms for public information.
The interim chairmen and secretaries of the shortlisted groups have been invited to a briefing scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at INEC headquarters in Abuja.
The Commission also confirmed that it will physically verify the claims of each association in line with its guidelines before making a final determination on their eligibility.
INEC reiterated that the registration of political parties is a continuous process under the law and assured that it remains open to considering new applications that meet the statutory requirements.
The statement read, “The Commission held its regular meeting today, Thursday 11th September 2025. In addition to reviewing our preparations for forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the end-of-tenure Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the meeting also considered the report of its Committee on the Review of Letters of Intent from associations seeking registration as political parties.
“A total of 171 requests for registration were received. Each request was assessed on the basis of its prima facie compliance with the provisions of Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Section 79 (1, 2 and 4) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Clause 2 (i and ii) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
“Out of the total number of applications received, 14 associations have met the requirements to proceed to the next stage while 157 have not. The Commission shall officially communicate the decision arising from today’s meeting to all the associations in the next 24 hours.
“Meanwhile, the list of the 14 pre-qualified associations has been published on our website and other official platforms for public information.”
Olumekun stated, “The interim Chairmen and Secretaries of the pre-qualified associations are invited to a briefing on Wednesday 17th September 2025 at 11am at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.
“In addition to uploading the required information to the portal, the will physically verify all claims by each association in line with our Regulations and Guidelines.
“The final determination of the registrability of the associations as political parties will be made after the physical verification of all their claims to determine compliance with the legal framework.
“We wish to reiterate that party registration is a continuous process under the law. The Commission remains open to the consideration of applications that meet the criteria as provided by law,” he added.
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