The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has not yet met the requirements to be registered as a political party in Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, said the ADA and other groups have only submitted letters of intent, but none have officially applied or met the legal conditions.
“The truth is that we have so many letters of intent presently, and none of them is an application yet. They must first meet the criteria before submitting a formal application,” Olumekun said.
One of the key mistakes made by the ADA was in their letter, where they failed to use the commission’s full name.
Their application, dated June 19, was addressed to the “Independent National Commission” instead of the “Independent National Electoral Commission.”
The letter was signed by ADA’s protem national chairman, Akin Ricketts, and protem national secretary, Abdullahi Musa Elayo.
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Prominent politicians linked to the ADA include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, ex-Senate President David Mark, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
INEC made it clear that there are no shortcuts in the party registration process. Mr. Olumekun said all interested groups must follow the 2022 Electoral Act and INEC’s internal guidelines carefully.
“All associations must comply strictly with the procedures. No one is exempted,” he added.
Meanwhile, INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu is expected to meet with leaders of the 19 registered political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday. The meeting will include representatives from the media, civil society groups, and security agencies.
A senior INEC official said Prof. Yakubu is likely to speak about ADA and other similar matters during the meeting, which is part of the ongoing Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), co-chaired by Prof. Yakubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.