The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deregistered 74 political parties. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, announced this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
He said this because of their failure to meet various criteria stipulated by the constitution during the elections. The INEC chairman said the number of Nigeria’s political parties are now 18.
Among the affected parties are: Fresh Party, founded by Chris Okotie, a pastor; National Conscience Party, founded by Gani Fawehinmi, the late human rights lawyer, and Kowa Party.
The national assembly recently amended the constitution to allow INEC deregister political parties on the following grounds: “breach of any of the requirements for registration as a party, failure to win at least 25 percent of the votes cast in one state in a presidential election or 25 percent of the votes cast in one local government area, and failure to win at least one ward in a chairmanship election, one seat in the national or state assembly election or one seat in a councilorship election”.
Yakubu said INEC carried out an assessment of the political parties to determine compliance with the requirements for their registration.
He said they were assessed on the basis of their performance in the general elections as well as in the area council elections in the federal capital territory (FCT), after which 75 were found to not have met the aforementioned criteria.
He, however, said one of the parties — Action Peoples Party — obtained a court order restricting their deregistration.
The 74 de-registered parties are:
S/NO. NAME OF PARTY ACRONYM
1. ADVANCED ALLIED PARTY AAP
2. ALL BLENDING PARTY ABP
3. ADVANCED CONGRESS OF DEMOCRATS ACD
4. ALLIED CONGRESS PARTY OF NIGERIA ACPN
5. ALLIANCE FOR DEMOCRACY AD
6. ALL GRASSROOTS ALLIANCE AGA
7. ALL GRAND ALLIANCE PARTY AGAP
8. ADVANCED NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY ANDP
9. ALLIANCE FOR NEW NIGERIA ANN
10. ALLIANCE NATIONAL PARTY ANP
11. ABUNDANT NIGERIA RENEWAL PARTY ANRP
12. AFRICAN PEOPLES ALLIANCE APA
13. ADVANCED PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE APDA
14. ALTERNATIVE PARTY OF NIGERIA APN
15. ALLIANCE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATS ASD
16. ALLIANCE FOR A UNITED NIGERIA AUN
17. BETTER NIGERIA PROGRESSIVE PARTY BNPP
18. CHANGE ADVOCACY PARTY CAP
19. COALITION FOR CHANGE C4C
20. CHANGE NIGERIA PARTY CNP
21. CONGRESS OF PATRIOTS COP
22. DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVE DA
23. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES CONGRESS DPC
24. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES PARTY DPP
25. FRESH DEMOCRATIC PARTY FRESH
26. FREEDOM AND JUSTICE PARTY FJP
27. GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT PARTY OF NIGERIA GDPN
28. GREEN PARTY OF NIGERIA GPN
29. HOPE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HDP
30. INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS ID
31. JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL PARTY JMPP
32. KOWA PARTY KP
33. LIBERATION MOVEMENT LM
34. LEGACY PARTY OF NIGERIA LPN
35. MASS ACTION JOINT ALLIANCE MAJA
36. MODERN DEMOCRATIC PARTY MDP
37. MASSES MOVEMENT OF NIGERIA MMN
38. MEGA PARTY OF NIGERIA MPN
39. MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION AND DEFENCE OF DEMOCRACY MRDD
40. NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL NAC
41. NIGERIA COMMUNITY MOVEMENT PARTY NCMP
42. NATIONAL CONSCIENCE PARTY NCP
43. NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PARTY NDCP
44. NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC LIBERTY PARTY NDLP
45. NIGERIA ELEMENTS PROGRESSIVE PARTY NEPP
46. NIGERIA FOR DEMOCRACY NFD
47. NEW GENERATION PARTY OF NIGERIA NGP
48. NATIONAL INTEREST PARTY NIP
49. NIGERIA PEOPLES CONGRESS NPC
50. NEW PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT NPM
51. NATIONAL UNITY PARTY NUP
52. PEOPLES COALITION PARTY PCP
53. PEOPLES FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE PDC
54. PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT PDM
55. PROGRESSIVE PEOPLES ALLIANCE PPA
56. PROVIDENCE PEOPLES CONGRESS PPC
57. PEOPLES PARTY OF NIGERIA PPN
58. PEOPLES PROGRESSIVE PARTY PPP
59. PEOPLES TRUST PT
60. REFORM AND ADVANCEMENT PARTY RAP
61. RE-BUILD NIGERIA PARTY RBNP
62. RESTORATION PARTY OF NIGERIA RP
63. SAVE NIGERIA CONGRESS SNC
64. SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL PARTY SNP
65. SOCIALIST PARTY OF NIGERIA SPN
66. UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY UDP
67. UNITED PATRIOTS UP
68. UNITED PEOPLES CONGRESS UPC
69. UNITY PARTY OF NIGERIA UPN
70. UNITED PROGRESSIVE PARTY UPP
71. WE THE PEOPLE NIGERIA WTPN
72. YOUNG DEMOCRATIC PARTY YDP
73. YES ELECTORATES SOLIDARITY YES
74. YOUTH PARTY YP
