The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that the delay in the registration of new political parties is due to constant changes in the logos, acronyms, and interim leadership of the associations seeking registration.
The commission also cited the defection of interim leaders to other associations or existing parties as a significant factor slowing down the process.
National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, stated in a release that the number of associations seeking to be registered as political parties has now risen to 171.
The commission appealed for patience from the groups as it works to finalise the verification and pre-qualification process.
“We wish to appeal to all the associations that submitted letters of intent to remain patient as we finalise the process. We also urge them to avoid frequent changes to their logos, acronyms and addresses or one association submitting multiple requests”, he said.
He further elaborated on the challenges, noting that “worse, some associations have changed their interim leaderships, following defections to other associations or even existing political parties, thereby delaying the process.”
The commission provided an update on the party registration exercise, confirming that 19 more letters of intent had been received since the last update, bringing the total to 171 as of 3rd September 2025.
A shortlist of pre-qualified associations is being finalised for the next stage of the application process, with a committee having already prepared its recommendations for the commission’s final consideration.
“We wish to reassure the associations that the Commission will treat all applications fairly while urging them to assist the process by remaining consistent,” the statement read.
In a separate update, INEC confirmed that 2,802,790 eligible voters are now registered to elect the next governor of Anambra State in the forthcoming election.
This follows a recent voter registration exercise and a subsequent cleanup of the register using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which identified and removed 27,817 double or multiple registrations.
The commission assured new voters in Anambra State, as well as those who applied for transfers or replacement of their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), that “their cards will be ready for collection well ahead of the Governorship Election.”
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