2027: INEC APPROVES TWO NEW POLITICAL PARTIES, DLA AND NDC

As Nigeria gears up for the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded the country’s political landscape by approving two new parties: the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

INEC, however, expressed concern over political parties with recurring leadership disputes, warning that internal conflicts threaten constitutional order.

At INEC’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties on Thursday, Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, formally recognized the two new parties, bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.

He explained that the DLA passed a stringent verification process, while the NDC secured registration following a Federal High Court directive.

Despite welcoming the additions, Prof. Amupitan criticized the frequent internal crises within many parties.

He said,“Our commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by increasingly frequent leadership crises within political parties.”

He added that such disputes often end up in court, straining the judiciary and distracting INEC from its core responsibilities, including voter mobilization.

“Each litigation consumes time and resources and diverts the Commission from important work. Sometimes, one wonders whether some parties should continue to exist given recurring leadership struggles,” he noted.

The INEC chairman also raised concern over declining voter turnout, highlighting a downward trend from 53.7% in 2011 to 26.7% in the 2023 general elections.“Technology alone cannot address voter apathy.

Citizens’ trust is often eroded when they feel their voices do not matter. We must work together to change this narrative,” he stressed.

INEC confirmed readiness for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections on February 21, 2026, where 1,680,315 registered voters are expected to cast ballots across 2,822 polling units.

Preparations are also ongoing for the Ekiti State Governorship election on June 20, 2026, and the Osun State Governorship election on August 8, 2026.

To ensure credible elections, INEC plans a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to clean the voters’ register of 93.4 million entries, removing duplicates and deceased individuals.

In response, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) National Chairman Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle urged INEC to maintain neutrality and strictly follow party constitutions to prevent bias allegations.

He also called for comprehensive electoral reforms, including the removal of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and the mandatory real-time transmission of election results to INEC’s IReV portal.“

All elections should be held on the same day to reduce costs, prevent bandwagon effects, and address voter fatigue,” Dantalle added.