ABUJA – July 3, 2025: As political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it has received 12 additional applications from associations seeking registration as political parties—bringing the total number of applications to 122.

 

This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, following the Commission’s regular weekly meeting.

 

Olumekun revealed that one of the applicants had already altered its leadership structure, with its interim Secretary reportedly defecting to another unregistered association—an action the Commission warned could delay application processing.

 

“The Commission advises promoters of the associations to maintain consistency in leadership and contact details so they do not, by their own actions, cause delays in the consideration of their applications,” he stated.

 

 

 

In line with its commitment to transparency, INEC confirmed that the names, acronyms, addresses, and interim leaders of the 12 newly submitted applications have been uploaded to its website and other official platforms for public access.

 

The Commission had earlier announced the receipt of 110 applications as of last week Monday, and assured Nigerians of regular updates on the process.

 

Meanwhile, the Commission also addressed issues relating to Section 65 of the Electoral Act, 2022, which empowers it to review election declarations and returns that are not made voluntarily or are contrary to the law.

 

“There have been many interpretations of Section 65, making it necessary for the Commission to issue Regulations, Guidelines, or Manuals to clarify procedures and timelines for reviewing election results,” Olumekun explained.

 

 

 

He further disclosed that Supplementary No. 1 to the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections has been approved and uploaded to INEC’s website, offering clear instructions to guide electoral processes.

 

INEC reiterated its commitment to processing all party registration applications fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the Electoral Act and its 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.