The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered two new political parties, the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), bringing the total number of registered parties to 21. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced this at the first regular consultative meeting with political parties, expressing frustration with the growing internal disputes within several parties
Amupitan lamented the decline in voter turnout, citing presidential election data showing a drop from 53.7% in 2011 to 26.7% in 2023. He emphasized the need to address voter apathy, stating that technology alone cannot solve the issue, and citizens’ trust must be regained.
The Commission is preparing for upcoming elections, including the FCT Area Council Elections on February 21, 2026, and plans to conduct a nationwide Voter Revalidation Exercise to clean up the register of 93.4 million voters.
The National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, urged INEC to remain neutral and advocate for electoral reforms, including abolishing State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and making real-time transmission of election results mandatory

