The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has not yet fulfilled the conditions necessary to be registered as a political party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This was made known by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to Olumekun, while the commission has received several letters expressing intent to form political parties, none of them, including ADA, has met the required criteria to formally apply.
“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 letter of intent,” Olumekun explained.
One notable concern, he noted, is that ADA’s proponents failed to follow proper procedure in their communication, including omitting the word “electoral” from their letter addressed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
The application, dated June 19, was signed by ADA’s interim national chairman, Akin Ricketts, and the protem national secretary, Abdullahi Musa Elayo.
The proposed party has reportedly drawn support or involvement from several high-profile politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), former Senate President David Mark, and Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
Despite the growing attention around ADA, INEC emphasized that there are no shortcuts to becoming a registered political party in Nigeria.
The commission reiterated that all associations must fully comply with the 2022 Electoral Act and INEC’s internal regulations before they can be granted official party status.
Meanwhile, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is scheduled to meet with leaders of the 19 currently registered political parties on Thursday at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
The consultative meeting will also include representatives from the media, civil society groups, and security agencies.
It will be held under the framework of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), co-chaired by Prof. Yakubu and National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
A senior INEC official confirmed that the INEC Chairman is expected to address the status of ADA and related party registration matters during the Thursday session.
