Nigeria: INEC Blocking New Party Registrations – Rotimi Amaechi

Former Governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused the the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, of deliberately stalling the registration of new political parties, thereby undermining Nigeria’s democratic process.

In an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Amaechi stated that INEC was no longer acting as an impartial electoral umpire but had become a tool in the hands of those in power to suppress political opposition and deny Nigerians a fair democratic playing field.

Already, INEC has taken sides as it is no longer an umpire. The so-called reforms put in place by INEC are not to anyone’s advantage because there are no political parties to compete in transparent elections,” Amaechi pointed.

The former minister also took aim at President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of using state institutions to entrench its dominance and curtail dissent.

What is funny about this government is that they don’t even obey laws. There is a state capture using the electoral system as the machine. Should that be? That should not be,” he added.

Amaechi also expressed regret that former INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega was not allowed to remain in office, saying his continued leadership could have ensured the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral reforms.

The concerns raised by Amaechi align with recent reports that INEC is sitting on over 104 applications from groups seeking registration as political parties since the conclusion of the 2023 general elections.

According to the report many of these applications have not even been acknowledged, an administrative requirement that starts the 90-day period after which registration is presumed granted by law.

Comrade Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman (North) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), echoed similar concerns on Trust TV. According to him, INEC is intentionally withholding acknowledgements to frustrate the registration process.

By law, once INEC acknowledges your application, and 90 days pass without formal registration, you’re considered registered. But what’s happening is that even acknowledgements are being withheld. That’s a way of stalling the process, and it undermines the law. INEC is supposed to be an independent body,” he said.

Lukman, who recently left the APC, stated that the refusal to process these applications is part of a broader strategy to weaken opposition movements and block the formation of new parties like the proposed All Democratic Alliance (ADA), which a coalition of opposition groups aims to use to challenge the APC in 2027.

But it’s all part of the larger problem of state capture, which this administration has perfected. The National Assembly has been muzzled, and INEC is being manipulated -perhaps not overtly, but clearly,” he added.

Observers warn that the failure to allow the emergence of new parties risks further eroding public trust in Nigeria’s democratic institutions towards the next general elections.

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