Ahead of the 2027 General Election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded Nigeria’s political space with the registration of two additional political parties—the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced this on Thursday during the Commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties, bringing the total number of registered political parties in the country to 21.
According to him, the DLA successfully scaled the Commission’s rigorous verification process, while the NDC was registered in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court.
Despite the development, Amupitan expressed serious concern over persistent leadership crises and internal disputes within political parties, warning that such instability poses a threat to constitutional democracy.
“Our collective commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by the increasing frequency of leadership crises within political parties,” he said. “These disputes often result in avoidable litigations that overburden the judiciary and distract the Commission from its core responsibilities.”
The INEC Chairman noted that the Commission is frequently drawn into internal party conflicts through court actions, a situation he described as a major distraction.
“Each litigation consumes time and resources and diverts attention from critical activities such as voter mobilisation. At times, one wonders whether it is sustainable to continue registering or retaining parties that are perpetually embroiled in leadership struggles, with courts issuing conflicting orders on party leadership,” he added.
Amupitan also lamented the declining rate of voter participation in Nigeria’s elections, describing the trend as troubling. He disclosed that voter turnout dropped from 53.7 per cent in the 2011 presidential election to 43.6 per cent in 2015, further declined to 34.7 per cent in 2019, and reached an all-time low of 26.7 per cent in the 2023 General Election.
“Technology alone cannot address voter apathy,” he said. “Citizens’ trust is often eroded by the perception that democratic dividends are lacking or that their votes do not count. This narrative must be changed collectively.”
The Commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, disclosing that 1,680,315 registered voters will 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 slated for August 8, 2026.
As part of preparations for upcoming elections, including the 2027 polls, Amupitan announced that INEC would soon commence a nationwide voter revalidation exercise aimed at sanitising the voters’ register of about 93.4 million names by removing duplicates and deceased persons.
In his remarks, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to maintain neutrality in its dealings with political parties and strictly adhere to party constitutions to avoid perceptions of bias.
Dantalle also renewed calls for major electoral reforms, including the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
“IPAC reiterates its position that SIECs should be scrapped and INEC empowered to conduct all elections nationwide, given its institutional capacity and experience,” he said.
He further advocated mandatory real-time transmission of election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal and proposed that all elections be conducted on the same day to reduce costs, curb bandwagon effects, and address voter fatigue.