INEC denies ADA registration despite meeting conditions — Ardo

 

The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of unjustly refusing to register the party despite what it described as full compliance with all statutory requirements.

Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television, the party’s key promoter, Umar Ardo, said INEC’s action was unjustifiable and lacking transparency.

Ardo stated that ADA submitted all documents required by the electoral body and successfully passed through the various stages of the registration process, only to be excluded without any official explanation.

“The All Democratic Alliance provided INEC with every document demanded for registration. INEC did not register any of the associations, not even one,” he said.

He expressed concern that unlike its usual practice, INEC failed to issue a public statement or upload any information on its website explaining the outcome of the registration exercise.

“Virtually every Thursday, INEC meets and releases updates to Nigerians. But in this case, there was total silence. No press release, nothing on its website. This silence is deliberate because public opinion would be strongly against it,” Ardo alleged.

According to him, 172 associations initially submitted letters of intent, which INEC reportedly screened down to 14. From that number, eight groups, including ADA, were pre-qualified after paying an administrative fee of ₦2 million and completing applications through INEC’s dedicated portal.

He explained that ADA was formally notified that it had advanced to the final stage, which involved physical verification of offices nationwide.

“INEC conducted verification of our offices. We are represented in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, far exceeding the constitutional requirement of presence in at least 24 states and the FCT,” he said.

Ardo added that ADA’s offices were properly equipped and comparable to those of already registered political parties.

He further noted that INEC had earlier assured applicants that they would be contacted if additional information was required, but said the commission never reached out to ADA before allegedly discqualifying it.

“In acknowledging our application, INEC stated clearly that if there was a need for further information, we would be contacted. That never happened,” he said.

The party called on INEC to explain its actions and uphold transparency in the political party registration process.