The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially registered two new political parties, expanding Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of future elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced the development on Thursday in Abuja during the commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties in 2026. The newly registered parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Amupitan explained that the registrations followed a rigorous screening and verification process. According to him, INEC received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking recognition as political parties. Out of these, 14 groups passed the initial pre-qualification stage, while eight associations successfully uploaded their documents on the commission’s dedicated portal.
He noted that after detailed assessment and verification in line with the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) met all the statutory requirements for registration.
In the case of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Amupitan disclosed that its registration was carried out in compliance with a court order. He said a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, directed INEC to register the party following a legal action instituted by its promoters.
The INEC chairman assured that certificates of registration would be formally presented to both political parties in due course.
The development brings the number of registered political parties in Nigeria up and signals INEC’s continued commitment to due process, constitutional compliance, and the strengthening of democratic participation in the country.
