INEC: Over 100 Political Groups Apply For 2023 Registration

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says no fewer than 107 groups have approached the body for registration as political parties for the 2023 election.

The Deputy Director, SERVICOM at INEC, Olayide Okuonghae, responding to the freedom of information request sent on Sunday, said between 2019 and December 14, 2021, about 101 political associations had applied for registration.

“The commission wishes to inform that from 2019 to December 14, 2021, a total of 101 political associations have forwarded their letters of intent to be registered as political parties", his statement reads.

Also confirming the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said that INEC could not reveal the names of the associations because they had not been approved as political parties.

“So far, a total of 101 associations have submitted their letters of intent to be registered as political parties. However, a letter of intent does not amount to an application for registration.

"An association can only be said to have applied when such application is in the prescribed form", he said.

Currently, there are 18 political parties in the country as INEC had on February 6, 2020, deregistered 74 political parties due to their poor performance in the 2019 general elections and the re-run elections that followed.