INEC MEETS POLITICAL PARTIES LEADERS; REGISTERS TWO MORE NEW POLITICAL PARTIES
Abuja, Nigeria, February 6, 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered two additional political parties — the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this development during the Commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties held in Abuja.
Timothy Yusuf reports that the meeting comes amid growing public interest and heightened anticipation over the release of the timetable for the 2027 General Election. The expectation aligns with Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates INEC to issue a Notice of Election not later than 360 days before the date of the poll.
Professor Amupitan noted that while the National Assembly is currently working on amendments to the Electoral Act, the Commission has already made its required submissions to the legislature.
Key issues discussed at the consultative meeting included the Voter Revalidation Exercise, dwindling voter turnout, Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), political party registration, and the need to strengthen internal party democracy.
The INEC Chairman assured stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to consolidating improvements in the conduct of elections, starting with the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, the Ekiti and Osun States off-cycle governorship elections, and ultimately the 2027 General Election.
The meeting also reflected recent leadership changes within some political parties. The Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were represented by two sets of new leadership. Senator Esther Nenadi Usman attended as the Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, while Abdulrahman Mohammed represented the PDP as Chairman of its National Caretaker Committee.
INEC reiterated the importance of sustained engagement with political parties as a critical component of strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
