– Obidient, ADA listed among applicants
Isaac Samuel
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed receipt of 110 letters of intent from various associations seeking registration as political parties.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this yesterday during the second quarterly consultative meeting with media executives held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Among the applicants, according to an INEC document, are the Obidient Peoples Party and the All Democratic Alliance (ADA). The Obidient Peoples Party, whose protem national chairman is Barry Avotu Johnson, is one of two associations referencing the Obidient movement — a political wave inspired by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi. The second group is seeking registration as the Progressive Obedients Party.
ADA, on the other hand, is reportedly backed by prominent opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, convener of the League of Northern Democrats, Dr. Umar Ardo, among others.
Other groups seeking registration include: Zonal Rescue Movement, Great Nigeria Party, National Youth Alliance, Alliance of Patriots, African Reformation Party, All Grassroots Party, Patriotic Nigerians Party, Peoples Freedom Party, Village Intelligence Party, New Green Generation Coalition Party, Nigeria Democratic Alliance, Citizen United Congress, Peoples Liberation Party, Accelerated African Development Association, Democratic Peoples Congress, Coalition for Nigerian Democrats, and All Labour’s Party, among others.
Prof. Yakubu said the applications are being processed in accordance with constitutional provisions, the Electoral Act, and the Commission’s guidelines.
He stated that the full list including proposed party names, acronyms, addresses, and details of protem officials — will be published on INEC’s website and social media channels for public access.
He noted that since Monday, June 23, 2025, INEC has acknowledged nearly all requests received, except six that came in recently and will be acknowledged before the end of the week.
Reacting to criticisms and insinuations surrounding the registration process, Yakubu maintained that the Commission remains impartial and would treat all applications fairly, regardless of the prominence of the promoters.
The INEC Chairman also recalled that the Commission previously registered 91 political parties for the 2019 general election and subsequently deregistered over 70 in line with legal provisions.
While insisting that INEC has never shied away from its constitutional responsibilities the INEC chairman encouraged interested groups to consult the regulations and guidelines for political parties 2022, which is available on INEC’s website, to understand the registration procedures..
He said: “We wish to reassure Nigerians that under the current situation, we will continue to be guided by law and act with fairness to all associations seeking registration as political parties. We will treat all requests fairly irrespective of the status of their promoters, be they ordinary or prominent citizens. Nigerians will be fully briefed of the actions taken by the Commission every step of the way.
“As at Monday, June 23, 2025, the Commission has received letters of intent from 110 associations that wish to register as political parties. We are diligently processing the requests in line with the procedure outlined in the law as well as our Regulations and Guidelines.
“We have acknowledged all requests received so far except six of them received recently which will be done before the end of the week.”
