Of 171 applications submitted for political party registration, only 14 associations have scaled the initial screening process, while 157 failed to meet the requirements, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), has said.
Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, conveyed this in a statement on Thursday.
The applications, he said, were examined in line with constitutional and legal provisions.
He added:“A total of 171 requests for registration were received. Each application was assessed on the basis of prima facie compliance with Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 79 (1, 2 and 4) of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as Clause 2 (i and ii) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
“From the total number of applications, 14 associations met the requirements to advance to the next stage, while 157 did not.”
The Commission noted that it will formally notify all the associations within 24 hours. It also revealed that the names of the 14 pre-qualified groups have been published on INEC’s official website and platforms for public awareness.
Besides, INEC invited the interim chairmen and secretaries of the shortlisted associations to a briefing scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at its headquarters in Abuja.
It added that beyond the online submission of documents, a physical verification of the claims made by each association will be carried out to ascertain their compliance with the law.
“The final decision on whether the associations will be registered as political parties will be taken after the verification exercise to confirm compliance with all legal requirements,” the statement read.
INEC reaffirmed that political party registration remains an ongoing process under the law and encouraged eligible associations to apply whenever they are ready.