INEC: No group has applied for party registration — only letters of intent received

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says no group has formally applied to register a new political party.

Speaking with The Nation on Monday, Sam Olumekun, INEC’s national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee, said the commission has only letters of intent and not formal applications.

“The truth is that we have so many letters of intent presently, and none of them is an application yet,” he said.

“They must first meet the criteria before submitting a letter of intent.”

Olumekun said associations seeking to register as political parties must follow the guidelines and abide by the legal and administrative requirements for registration.

The INEC commissioner’s disclosure follows the circulation of a letter by opposition leaders under the coalition movement requesting to register the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) as a political party ahead of the 2027 general election.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Nasir el-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna, are spearheading the coalition.

The letter, dated June 19 and addressed to the INEC chairman, was co-signed by Akin Ricketts, national chairman of ADA, and Abdullahi Musa Elayo, pro tem national secretary.

LEGAL PROVISIONS FOR REGISTRATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES

The 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers INEC to register political parties and deregister existing ones.

Section 221 of the 1999 constitution states that “no association by whatever name called shall function as a party unless – (a) the names and addresses of its national officers are registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission, (b) the membership of the association is open to every citizen of Nigeria, irrespective of his place of origin, circumstance of birth, sex, religion or ethnic grouping.

“(c) a copy of its constitution is registered in the principal office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in such form as may be prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission; “ (d) any alteration in its registered constitution is also registered in the principal office of the Independent National Electoral Commission within thirty days of the making of such alteration; (e) the name of the association, its symbol or logo does not contain any ethnic or religious connotation or give the appearance that the activities of the association are confined to a part only of the geographical area of Nigeria; and “(f) the headquarters of the association is situated in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

The Electoral Act 2022 also stipulates that an application for registration of a political party must be submitted to INEC a year before the general election.

Section 75(1) of the Act states that “any political association that complies with the provisions of the Constitution and this Act for the purposes of registration shall be registered as a political party: PROVIDED, however, that such application for registration as a political party shall be duly submitted to the Commission not later than 12 months before a general election.”