2023 Election: INEC Begins Registration Process For 45 Fresh Parties

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has received 45 applications from associations seeking to be registered as political parties.

According to the commission, associations are free to enjoy the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman (Information and Voter Education Committee), Festus Okoye, who said this in an interview on Friday, however, warned that the associations “must be ready to canvass for votes and sponsor candidates for elections the moment they are registered as political parties.”

Okoye was responding to questions on the number of political parties that had applied for registration ahead of the 2023 general elections.

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He said, “Presently, the commission is processing 45 applications received from various associations. It is a constitutional and legal obligation and mandate, and the commission will register any of them that satisfies the constitutional threshold.

“Associations are free to enjoy the constitutionally entrenched and guaranteed freedom of association but they must be ready to canvass for votes and sponsor candidates for elections the moment they are registered as political parties.

“A newly registered political party has the same incidents of registration as existing parties. Associations must, therefore, put their structures in place and be properly grounded before applying to transmute to political parties.

“INEC is constitutionally and legally empowered to register political parties in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, the Electoral Act, and the commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for the Registration and Dissolution of Political Parties, 2018.

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“Any association intending to transmute to a political party must satisfy and conform to the provisions of sections 221 to 229 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

Okoye said such associations must have their headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. He said the names and addresses of their national officers must be registered with the commission, and that the membership of the associations must be open to all Nigerians.