INEC begins shortlisting associations for political party registration

DDM News

(DDM) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it has started shortlisting associations seeking registration as political parties in Nigeria.

The Commission announced that the process follows a steady rise in applications from various political associations across the country, with the latest tally reaching 151 applications.

DDM gathered that the shortlist will be unveiled immediately after the bye-elections scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 2025, which will take place in 12 states across Nigeria.

According to the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the decision was taken during the Commission’s regular weekly meeting on Thursday.

Olumekun disclosed that since the Commission’s last update on July 23, 2025, it has received eight additional letters of intent from associations aspiring to become political parties.

He explained that INEC has now activated its online portal for party registration, which will streamline the process and ensure that only associations that meet the legal and constitutional requirements progress to the application stage.

“Meanwhile, having created the portal for party registration, the Commission has commenced the shortlisting of the associations that meet the requirements to proceed to the application stage,” Olumekun stated.

He added that further details of the shortlisted associations will be released after the bye-elections are concluded.

The bye-elections scheduled for August 16 are expected to be closely watched, given their potential political implications ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In addition to party registration matters, the Commission also reviewed preparations for the resumption of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

Olumekun explained that the CVR exercise will be conducted in 811 centres nationwide, covering INEC’s 774 Local Government offices, 37 State offices, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) office.

The registration exercise will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, excluding national public holidays.

To enhance accessibility and ensure citizens can locate registration centres with ease, INEC will deploy an online CVR Live Locator tool.

The CVR is a critical process in Nigeria’s electoral cycle, allowing eligible citizens who have not yet registered to obtain their voter cards, and enabling those who have changed residence to transfer their registration details.

Observers note that the shortlisting of potential political parties comes at a time of heightened political activity in Nigeria, with some parties already engaging in premature campaigns despite the electoral laws prohibiting such actions before the official campaign period.

INEC has maintained that it will continue to uphold transparency and fairness in managing the country’s political and electoral processes.

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