Ardo Raises Concerns Over INEC’s Party Registration Process

Promoter of the All-Democratic Alliance (ADA), Dr Umar Ardo, has raised concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision not to register his political association despite earlier indications that it met legal requirements.

He also questioned the grounds in which INEC used to register NDC, noting that the political party did not meet all requirements.

Making these comments on Arise News on Friday, Ardo said ADA’s registration remains in court.

“Our party has not been registered, the All-Democratic Alliance, it has not been registered. But we have gone to court on this issue. So I will not want to discuss the facts of the matter because it is in court,” he said.

However, he explained his position noting that on September 15, 2025, INEC shortlisted 14 political associations from 171 applications after scrutinising them based on constitutional provisions, the Electoral Act and its own guidelines.

According to him, ADA was among those said to have met the requirements at that stage.

“And the next stage is to buy, to pay money, N2m administrative fees, and then go into the real application inside the INEC portal, which eight political associations were able to pay the N2m out of the 14 shortlisted, including the ADA, and then we went and applied,” he said.

He also stated that INEC subsequently visited the party’s offices on December 8 to physically verify documents, inspect offices nationwide and assess organisational readiness.

“At the end of the day, INEC said that we did not meet the provision of the constitution, the Electoral Act and the guidelines, which on the 14th of September it said we met,” Ardo stated.

Based on this grounds, Ardo questioned INEC’s recent registration of two new political parties, saying he had no issue with the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) which he said participated throughout the verification process alongside ADA.

However, Ardo expressed reservations about the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which INEC reportedly registered following a court order.

THE WHISTLER reports that on Thursday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registered two new political parties increasing the total number of registered parties in Nigeria to 21.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja.

The two new parties according to Amupitan are Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to Amupitan, the DLA was registered, being the only association out of the 171 associations seeking INEC registration as political parties, and that NDC was registered in obedience to court order.

However, Ardo while speaking said, “The problem we have is that of National Democratic Congress, the NDA, which INEC said that she was registered on the basis of court order.

“Now, how can INEC agree that there is a court order that gave them the power, that compelled them to go and register this political party, when that political association did not participate in the process?

“It did not apply to participate. It was not shortlisted in the 14. It was not shortlisted in the 8th. It was absent completely in the entire process, yet out of the blue, as if it is conjured by a magician, like conjuring rabbits, they now say that there is a court order, and INEC is bound to comply,” he said.

Ardo maintained that while electoral authorities must obey court rulings, questions remain about what was presented before the court and how such a decision was reached.

“If NDA submitted something, they must have served INEC. INEC must have gone to Lokoja to go and defend that matter. So it is ridiculous, as far as we are concerned, as far as I am concerned, that they said they registered it on the basis of a court order,” Ardo insisted.

Ardo Raises Concerns Over INEC’s Party Registration Process is first published on The Whistler Newspaper