The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered two new political parties—the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)—ahead of the 2027 general election, expanding the country’s political landscape to 21 registered parties.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced the development on Thursday during the Commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties. He said the DLA successfully scaled a rigorous verification process, while the NDC was registered in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court.
Despite the new registrations, Prof. Amupitan expressed concern over persistent leadership crises within political parties, describing internal disputes as a threat to constitutional order and the integrity of the electoral process.
“Our collective commitment to credible elections is being undermined by the growing spate of leadership crises within political parties,” he said, noting that such disputes often lead to avoidable litigations that overburden the judiciary and distract INEC from its core responsibilities.
He added that the Commission is frequently drawn into intra-party conflicts, which consume time and resources meant for voter mobilisation and election management.
“Sometimes, one wonders whether it is sustainable to continue registering or retaining some political parties, given recurring leadership struggles and conflicting court orders declaring different individuals as party leaders,” the INEC chairman stated.
