|By Adejumo Adekunle
As momentum builds toward the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expanded Nigeria’s political landscape with the registration of two new political parties—the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the development on Thursday at the Commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties, raising the total number of registered parties to 21. He disclosed that the DLA earned approval after successfully passing INEC’s rigorous verification process, while the NDC secured registration following full compliance with a Federal High Court directive.
Despite welcoming the new entrants, Amupitan issued a stern warning over persistent leadership crises rocking several political parties, describing the trend as a threat to constitutional order and democratic stability.
He said repeated internal disputes often end up in court, overstretching the judiciary and diverting INEC from its statutory duties. According to him, the Commission is frequently dragged into party conflicts, a situation that drains time, resources, and weakens voter mobilisation efforts.
Amupitan cautioned that the recurrence of court orders recognising different individuals as party leaders raises serious questions about the continued registration and retention of some political parties.
The INEC chairman also expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s declining voter participation, describing the trend as alarming. He revealed that voter turnout has steadily fallen from 53.7 per cent in the 2011 presidential election to 43.6 per cent in 2015, dropped to 34.7 per cent in 2019, and plunged to an all-time low of 26.7 per cent in the 2023 general election.
He stressed that technology alone cannot reverse voter apathy, noting that public trust is often weakened by perceived lack of democratic dividends and fears that votes do not count. Amupitan called on all stakeholders to work collectively to rebuild confidence in the electoral process.
On upcoming polls, INEC reaffirmed its readiness for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, with 1,680,315 registered voters expected to cast ballots across 2,822 polling units. The Commission also confirmed ongoing preparations for the Ekiti State governorship election on June 20, 2026, and the Osun State governorship election fixed for August 8, 2026.
To strengthen electoral credibility ahead of these polls and the 2027 general election, INEC announced plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to sanitise the voters’ register of 93.4 million entries by eliminating duplicates and removing deceased persons.
Responding on behalf of political parties, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) National Chairman, Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to maintain strict neutrality and adhere to party constitutions to avoid allegations of bias.
He also renewed calls for far-reaching electoral reforms, including the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), arguing that INEC should be empowered to conduct all elections nationwide due to its institutional capacity.
Dantalle further advocated mandatory real-time transmission of election results to the IReV portal and proposed that all elections be held on the same day to reduce costs, curb bandwagon effects, and address voter fatigue.
