The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has told a coalition of political groups seeking to register a new party ahead of the 2027 general elections that no amount of public pressure or blackmail would override the need for strict compliance with constitutional and regulatory requirements.

The electoral body questioned the coalition?s compliance with key legal and procedural requirements, warning that party registration was not merely a political declaration but a constitutional process governed by strict guidelines.

INEC also denied reports circulating online, claiming the registration of two new political parties ? the ?Independent Democrats? and the ?Peoples Democratic Movement.?

Several opposition members had recently accused the electoral body of refusing to register new political parties, raising concerns about the inclusiveness of the electoral process.

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accused INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, of blocking the registration of new political parties.

Speaking on Arise TV earlier in June, Amaechi praised former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for ensuring a transparent electoral process that led to the All Progressives Congress registration and eventual victory in 2015.

He said, ?The current chairman of INEC, if he were the chairman of INEC in 2015, we would not have won.

?That?s an important point. May God bless (Attahiru) Jega. Because the ground rules were clear. The current chairman of INEC can only be compared to Iwu.

?When we were to register APC, Jega opened the door and we complied with the registration requirements. He got APC registered. The current man, if you comply with all these, he would not register you.?

The Movement of the People, a political group inspired by the legacy of late Afrobeat singer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, also sought registration from INEC as a political party.

In a statement issued by its Protem Chairman and musician, Seun Kuti, the group said, ?Nigeria?s democracy cannot thrive when the political space is continuously restricted.

?Since 2018, no new political party has been registered in Nigeria, while 72 existing parties have been deregistered. This severe restriction limits citizens? political choices and undermines true democratic representation.?

Other coalition leaders, including a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and a chieftain of the APC, Salihu Lukman, had blamed INEC at different events over non-registration of political parties ahead of the 2027 election.

Reacting to the allegations, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, dismissed the claims as unfounded and stressed the importance of compliance with the commission?s regulations.

Oyekanmi told The PUNCH on Monday that the commission was focused on the quality of applications rather than the quantity, emphasising that only those applicants who fully met the established criteria could be successfully registered.

He noted that it was more accurate to speak of successful applications, as some groups may withdraw their applications during the process.

According to him, applicants received regular updates from INEC regarding the status of their submissions within stipulated timelines.

?Rather than trying to blackmail INEC with unfounded accusations, groups that applied for registration as political parties should submit authentic, verifiable documents and comply with all the requirements for registration.

?The number of applications that the commission receives is not as important as the number of applicants that can successfully satisfy the criteria for registration.

?It is thus more appropriate to talk about successful applications than the number of applications, since in any case, some applicants or associations may even withdraw their applications along the line.

?Applicants also receive constant communication from the commission about the status of their applications in line with the stipulated timeline,? Oyekanmi explained.

He said the conditions for political party registration were outlined in the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.

?The conditions for applying for registration as a political party are contained in our Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.

?Among other things, an association seeking registration shall submit its letter of intent along with its proposed name, symbol and acronym not later than 12 months before a general election.

?If approved, the association shall make payment of an administrative fee as determined by the commission.

?Upon receipt of the evidence of payment, an access code shall be issued to the chairman or secretary of the association for the download and submission of some forms and documents within 30 days,? the CPS said.

Explaining further, the Oyekanmi noted, ?Some of the documents to be submitted to the commission include: constitution of the proposed political party; proposed manifesto of the political party; title deed, tenancy agreement or other evidence of lawful occupation of its headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory; register of members of the association, which includes their names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and an affidavit by the national chairman or national secretary of the association, confirming the authenticity of the information and contents of the documents.

?Upon receipt of the online application and the accompanying documents, the commission proceeds to evaluate the application and documents to ensure that they meet the legal and administrative requirements for further processing.

?Now, where at any stage of the registration process, it is discovered that the same set of persons submitted more than one application, or that any aspect of the submission is false, such an application shall be invalidated.

?It is important to state that in verifying the claims of an association, the commission shall ascertain whether: the National Executive of an association reflects the Federal Character principle which requires that members of the National Executive Committee must come from at least 24 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory; the constitution and manifesto of the association comply with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the Electoral Act 2022 and the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022; the name, acronym, motto or symbol do not offend the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended): the proof of identity of each member of the national officers of the association, indigene certificate confirming that members of the national executive committee are indigenes of the States indicated against their names in Form EC15A(1) comply with the requirements.?

Debunking the news of party registration in a statement issued via its X handle on Wednesday, INEC described the report as false and urged members of the public to disregard it.

?For the avoidance of doubt, the commission has not yet registered any new party.

?The current number of registered political parties in Nigeria is 19. Nothing has been added,? INEC stated.

INEC also addressed the history of the two political groups mentioned in the fake report.

?It will be recalled that both the ?Independent Democrats? and ?Peoples Democratic Movement? were registered as political parties in August 2013.

?However, they were deregistered in February 2020 in accordance with Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,? the commission explained.

The commission emphasised its commitment to transparency and adherence to constitutional provisions in all electoral processes.

?We urge the public to disregard the said report,? it said. (The PUNCH)

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