The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it has now received a total of 129 applications from various associations seeking registration as political parties in Nigeria.

This was disclosed following INEC’s regular weekly meeting held on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

In a statement issued by National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the Commission revealed that seven new applications were submitted within the last week, bringing the overall number to 129.

“At its regular weekly meeting held today, Thursday 10th July 2025, the Commission received further updates on additional requests from associations seeking registration as political parties. Since last week, seven more applications have been received, bringing the total number so far to 129. All the requests are being processed,” the statement read.

INEC also announced the introduction of a digital political party registration portal as part of its broader Party Financial Reporting and Auditing System (PFRAS). The new portal is designed to streamline the application process and eliminate inefficiencies associated with manual submissions.

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“Unlike the manual method used in previous registration, the Commission is introducing a political party registration portal which is a module in our Party Financial Reporting and Auditing System,” Olumekun stated.

“This will make the process faster and seamless. In the next week, the Commission will conclude the final testing of the portal before deployment,” he added.

He further explained that once testing is complete, INEC will announce the next steps for associations that meet the necessary legal requirements, including the release of detailed application guidelines.

“Thereafter, the next step for associations that meet the requirements to proceed to the application stage will be announced. The Commission will also issue guidelines to facilitate the filing of applications using the PFRAS,” the statement continued.

Meanwhile, INEC has made public the list of all associations that have submitted applications so far. The list is available on its official website and other designated communication platforms.