Applications for party registration now 86 — INEC

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has disclosed that the number of political associations that have applied for registration as political parties has gone up to eighty six.

This is even as the commission welcomed 10 political parties that were deregistered after the 2015 general elections but were reinstated by court orders; bring the current number of registered political parties in the country to 40.

Professor Yakubu made the disclosure during the quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties, held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

“Today’s quarterly meeting brings together INEC and political parties in order to discuss a number of pertinent issues in the management of our democracy. Political Parties are the only vehicles by which persons can contest for elective positions in our country. This means parties are central to our democracy,” he said.

While welcoming back the 10 political parties that were deregistered after the 2015 general elections but were reinstated by court orders, Professor Yakubu said: “As always, INEC will abide by court orders on this one and all other matters.”

With the 10 reinstated parties, the total number of political parties in the country is now 40.

The reinstated parties are: Better Nigerian Peoples Party (BNPP); Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Democratic Alternatives (DA), National Action Council (NAC), National Democratic Liberty Party (NDLP), Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN), National Conscience Party (NCP), Nigerian Elements progressive Party (NEPP), National Unity Party (NUP).

The Chairman of IPAC, Muhammad Nalado, however, implored the Commission to develop alternative modalities that would prevent future deregistration of political parties in a bid to sustain democracy.