Socio-cultural group, Ethnic Youth Leaders, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the leadership of its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, for what it described as decisive steps towards strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly the registration of two new political parties and the planned nationwide voter register revalidation ahead of the 2027 General Election.

In a press statement signed by its Deputy Spokesperson, Mirabel Ashara, the group said the initiatives demonstrated INEC’s preparedness to deliver an inclusive, credible and people-centred electoral process.

The group noted Prof. Amupitan’s detailed exposition on the state of the national voter register, which was first compiled ahead of the 2011 General Election and has since been updated and deployed for the 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 general elections, as well as several off-cycle governorship and bye-elections. As of the 2023 General Election, the register stood at 93,469,008 registered voters.

According to the group, the INEC chairman rightly acknowledged persistent challenges affecting the voter register, including duplicated registrations, under-age registration, registration by non-citizens, inclusion of deceased voters, and incomplete or inaccurate records.

“These challenges, if left unaddressed, have the potential to undermine public confidence in the electoral process,” the statement said.

The Ethnic Youth Leaders welcomed INEC’s decision to embark on a comprehensive clean-up of the voter register and the planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise ahead of 2027, describing it as a proactive step that underscored the Commission’s commitment to transparency, credibility and continuous improvement.

“The resolve of the Amupitan-led INEC to sanitise the voter register is clear evidence of preparedness to deliver an inclusive, credible, and people-centred electoral process that reflects the true will of Nigerians,” the group stated.

It urged stakeholders to support the reform-driven approach rather than cast “unwarranted doubts” on the Commission, and called on Nigerians, particularly young people, to actively participate in the forthcoming voter revalidation exercise to ensure a clean and trustworthy register.

Meanwhile, INEC has approved the registration of two new political parties, bringing the total number of registered parties in the country to 21 ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Prof. Amupitan disclosed this on Thursday during the Commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties for 2026, held at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.

The newly registered parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

He said the decision followed a rigorous assessment process in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.

According to him, the Commission received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties. After initial screening, 14 associations were prequalified, while only eight successfully uploaded the required documentation on INEC’s dedicated portal.

The eight associations were the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA), Abundance Social Party (ASP), African Alliance Party (AAP), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Green Future Party (GFP), National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Peoples Freedom Party (PFP).

“Out of the eight above, only two qualified for final assessment and verification of due compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act,” Prof. Amupitan said.

“After due consideration, only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) was found to have complied fully with the requirements of the law. Accordingly, the Commission has decided to register the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) as a political party, effective from today, 5th February 2026.”

He explained that the Nigeria Democratic Congress was registered following a court order.

“The Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025 between Barr. Takori Mohammed Sanni & Ors v. INEC ordered the Commission to register Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party. The Commission has decided to comply with the order and is being registered as a political party,” he added.

Prof. Amupitan said certificates of registration would be presented to the two political parties in due course.
He also cautioned political parties against persistent internal leadership crises, warning that frequent disputes and litigations were distracting the Commission from its core mandate of conducting free, fair and credible elections.

The INEC chairman urged party leaders to embrace internal democracy, dialogue and transparency as preparations intensify for a series of elections in 2026 and the 2027 General Election.