As the 2027 elections approach, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed receiving 91 applications for the registration of new political parties.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed concerns, stating that the number of applications highlights the lack of unity among opposition leaders. Meanwhile, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) criticized the development, describing it as evidence of the ruling All Progressives Congress’s (APC) incompetence.
The Labour Party, on the other hand, welcomed the influx of new political party applications but urged INEC to carefully scrutinize each application before proceeding with their registration.
In response, the APC claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was behind the surge in applications but remained confident that it would have no significant impact on the party’s prospects in the 2027 elections.
This development came amid accusations from opposition groups who alleged that INEC was deliberately hindering the registration of new parties in preparation for the upcoming general elections. Salihu Lukman, a key opposition figure and former National Vice Chairman of the APC for the North-West, stated that political parties failing to meet the electoral threshold by winning a seat in the previous elections could face deregistration.
Lukman emphasized the difficulty of negotiating political party unity, noting that many coalition members had been engaging in discussions for over a year to address this challenge.
In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Victoria Eta-Messi, Director of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC’s Election and Parties Monitoring Department (EPM), assured that no applications had been rejected. She confirmed that, as of the latest count, 91 applications had been received.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, responded by stressing that opposition leaders do not require numerous political parties to challenge the APC. Instead, he argued, a strong and unified platform is essential to remove the ruling party.
