INEC Shuts Out Six Associations, Only Two Survive Final Political Party Registration

In a dramatic turn of events, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disqualified six political associations, leaving only the African Alliance Party (AAP) and the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) to advance to the final stage of party registration, sources told Patriotic Insights News.

The process, which began with 110 associations in June 2025 and ballooned to 171 by September, has witnessed several high-profile eliminations, sparking controversy among affected groups.

Earlier in September, INEC granted provisional approval to 14 associations, including AAP, DLA, African Transformation Party (ATP), All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Advance Nigeria Congress (ANC), Abundance Social Party (ASP), Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA), Grassroots Initiative Party (GRIP), Green Future Party (GFP), Liberation People’s Party (LPP), National Democratic Party (NDP), National Reform Party (NRP), Patriotic Peoples Alliance (PPA), and Peoples Freedom Party (PFP).

By October, eight associations—ADA, CDA, ASP, AAP, DLA, GFP, NDP, and PFP—were shortlisted for further assessment, meeting INEC’s constitutional and statutory requirements.

Sources said only AAP and DLA cleared the final hurdle, while the other six failed compliance checks. One association was cited for an alleged issue with its registered address, a claim it vigorously disputes.

“They [INEC] claim they never received the documents, despite our repeated submissions,” a party member told Patriotic Insights News.

Some of the disqualified groups are heading to court to challenge INEC’s decision, which has already stirred political debates across the country.