Party registration: ADA, 7 others scale INEC’s documentation stage

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that eight of the 14 associations seeking registration as political parties have successfully completed the documentation stage of the process. In a statement on Thursday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said the eight associations met the October 18 […]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that eight of the 14 associations seeking registration as political parties have successfully completed the documentation stage of the process.

In a statement on Thursday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said the eight associations met the October 18 deadline for uploading all required information and documents on the INEC portal.

“As of Saturday, 19th October 2025, eight out of the 14 pre-qualified associations successfully completed the upload of all necessary information and documentation,” the statement read.

The groups that scaled through include the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA), Abundance Social Party (ASP), African Alliance Party (AAP), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Green Future Party (GFP), National Democratic Party (NDP), and Peoples Freedom Party (PFP).

Olumekun said the next phase would involve a detailed assessment and verification of the information and documents submitted by each association to ensure compliance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022).

He added that the Commission remains committed to inclusivity, transparency, and the deepening of Nigeria’s democratic culture.

INEC had earlier, on September 11, announced that 14 associations were pre-qualified for the final stage of the registration process, following a briefing with their representatives on September 17.

The completion of this documentation phase means the eight successful groups will now face verification visits and final scrutiny by INEC before the Commission decides whether to issue them certificates of registration as fully recognised political parties.

The ADA had been considered an alternative platform for the opposition coalition that eventually adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its political base. At the time, some coalition leaders were believed to have held back from formally joining the ADC, reportedly hoping that INEC would approve ADA’s registration as a fresh political party to serve as a unified vehicle for the coalition.

However, the coalition-led ADC later clarified that it had concluded all matters relating to ADA. The coalition’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, told Daily Trust that, “The Coalition has rested everything concerning the ADA. That means, they are not interested in the registration or otherwise of the association.”