INEC’s exclusion of 157 political associations unacceptable – FASRAPP

…Accuses electoral body of abusing its own guidelines

…Says 90-day evaluation period for letters of intent “outrageous”

…Demands immediate review of prequalification process

The Forum of Associations Seeking Registration as Political Parties (FASRAPP) has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s decision to disqualify 157 political associations from proceeding to the application stage for registration.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman of FASRAPP, Chief Barr. John Nwobodo, and Secretary, Dr. Godwin I. Udibe.

The controversy stems from an INEC statement issued on September 11 by National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, which revealed that only 14 of the 171 associations that submitted letters of intent prequalified for the next stage, effectively excluding 157 others.

According to the statement, “FASRAPP notes that INEC has flagrantly abused its own guidelines which mandate it to, within 90 days of receipt of a letter of intent, convey in writing provisional approval of the availability and suitability or otherwise of the association’s proposed name, symbol, and acronym. We note that INEC unnecessarily allows letters of intent to pile up. Most of the associations that made up the 171 political associations that submitted letters of intent did so since 2024 or earlier. INEC, despite its legal obligations, stood on the letters of intent for more than one year.

“We are of the view that 90 days merely to reserve a name is outrageous. There are just 19 political parties in the country today and therefore the political parties register has few content. The Corporate Affairs Commission with its vast database reserves names within five minutes and registers companies the same day. On the contrary, INEC thrives on analogue, archaic, and outdated practices deliberately designed to frustrate citizens’ fundamental rights to form and belong to political parties of their choice.”

“INEC approved five political associations with discrepancies in their information as published by the Commission in previous updates. There are instances where the same set of promoters submitted multiple letters of intent for different associations. There are also instances of names not previously on the INEC list surfacing among the prequalified associations.”

The Forum said its members would meet to appraise the reasons for their exclusion as soon as INEC conveys them formally, after which they would decide on next steps.