Ahead of 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).
This was as it strongly wondered why it should continue to register parties or have existing parties retain their registration if they keep having persistent leadership infighting, stating that crises in parties are a threat to the Constitution.
Speaking on Thursday at the first regular consultative meeting with political parties, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the registration of the DLA and NDC, bringing the number of registered political parties to 21.
While the DLA emerged successful following a rigorous verification process, the NDC was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
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Despite the new additions, Prof. Amupitan expressed deep frustrations with the “growing spate of internal disputes” currently rocking several political parties.
He said, “Our collective commitment to the integrity of the electoral process is being challenged by the unfortunate and increasingly frequent leadership crises within political parties.
“These disputes often spill into needless litigations that tax the judicial system and divert the Commission from its core mandate.”
The Chairman noted that being repeatedly joined as a party in internal squabbles has become a significant distraction.
“Each litigation consumes time and resources and distracts from the important work of mobilising voters.
“Sometimes, you wonder whether one should even continue to register or retain some political parties, given the recurring leadership struggles and court orders declaring different individuals as party leaders,” he added.
