The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially expanded Nigeria’s political landscape to 21 parties following the registration of two new entities, the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), reports ITREALMS.
Out of 171 letters of intent received by the commission, only these two successfully navigated the rigorous constitutional and legal verification process to gain official recognition.
The Chairman issued a stern warning to political actors, describing persistent internal leadership disputes as a "suicidal" trend that threatens democratic consolidation as the country prepares for the 2027 General Election.
Professor Amupitan emphasized that cohesive party structures are indispensable to credible elections, noting that frequent litigations arising from internal friction force the commission to divert essential time and resources away from its core mandate of election management.
He stressed that these crises create uncertainty among the electorate and erode public confidence in the entire political system.
As part of the 2026 electoral roadmap, the commission is gearing up for a series of critical tests, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
This exercise will involve over 1.68 million voters across 2,822 polling units. Simultaneously, bye-elections will be held in Rivers and Kano States to fill vacancies in state constituencies.
Looking further ahead, the commission confirmed that governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun States are set for June 20 and August 8, 2026, respectively, with all preparatory activities currently progressing according to schedule.
In a major move to ensure the integrity of the 2027 polls, INEC will soon embark on a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to sanitize a register still plagued by duplicate registrations and the inclusion of deceased persons.
While Professor Amupitan noted that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has effectively eliminated ballot stuffing and ghost voting, he warned that technology alone cannot solve the deepening issue of voter apathy.
He pointed to a worrying decline in presidential election turnout, which plummeted from 53.7 percent in 2011 to 26.7 percent in 2023, urging political parties to intensify their mobilization efforts.
Responding to the Commission’s briefing, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, called on INEC to remain a strictly neutral arbiter.
He specifically requested that the commission rely on individual party constitutions when recognizing leadership factions to avoid conferring legitimacy on unauthorized groups.
Dr. Dantalle also urged political parties to utilize internal dispute resolution mechanisms rather than rushing to the courts, while calling on the National Assembly to expedite amendments to the Electoral Act to provide a stable legal framework well ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Chuks Egbune/DoP
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