The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded Nigeria’s political space ahead of the 2027 general elections with the registration of two new political parties—the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)—bringing the total number of registered parties to 21.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the development on Thursday during the commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties. He disclosed that while the DLA emerged successful after a rigorous verification process, the NDC was registered in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court.
Despite welcoming the new parties, Amupitan expressed strong concerns over persistent leadership infighting within several political parties, warning that such crises pose a threat to constitutional order and the integrity of the electoral process.
“Our collective commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by the unfortunate and increasingly frequent leadership crises within political parties,” he said.
“These disputes often spill into needless litigations that tax the judicial system and divert the Commission from its core mandate.”
The INEC chairman lamented that the commission is frequently drawn into internal party disputes, describing the situation as a major distraction.
“Each litigation consumes time and resources and distracts from the important work of mobilising voters. Sometimes, you wonder whether one should even continue to register or retain some political parties, given the recurring leadership struggles and court orders declaring different individuals as party leaders,” he added.
Amupitan also raised alarm over Nigeria’s declining voter turnout, describing it as a sobering trend. He revealed that participation in presidential elections has steadily dropped from 53.7 per cent in 2011 to 43.6 per cent in 2015, 34.7 per cent in 2019, and a historic low of 26.7 per cent in the 2023 general election.
“Technology alone cannot solve voter apathy. Citizens’ trust is often eroded by a perceived lack of democratic dividends or the fear that their voices do not matter. We must change this narrative together,” he said.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, noting that 1,680,315 registered voters are expected to participate across 2,822 polling units.
INEC is also preparing for the Ekiti State governorship election on June 20, 2026, and the Osun State governorship election on August 8, 2026.
To safeguard the credibility of these polls and the 2027 general election, Amupitan announced that INEC will soon conduct a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to clean up the register of 93.4 million voters by removing duplicate and deceased entries.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to remain neutral and strictly guided by party constitutions to avoid any perception of bias.
Dantalle also renewed calls for far-reaching electoral reforms, including the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
“IPAC reiterates its position that SIECs be scrapped and INEC empowered to conduct all elections nationwide, given its institutional expertise and capacity,” he said.
He further advocated for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal and proposed that all elections be held on the same day to reduce costs, curb bandwagon effects, and address voter fatigue.
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