Electoral body okays two new parties

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday announced the registration of two additional political parties, bringing to 30 the number to contest next year’s general elections. Abel Guobadia, chairman of INEC, told a news conference the Action Renaissance Party and the United Democratic Party had their registration delayed because they had not provided all the information required. “These details have now been made available to us and we are happy to announce their registration and also congratulate them,” he said. The two parties and twenty-two others recently registered by INEC, were also presented by Guobadia their certificates of registration authorising them to function as political parties. INEC had called for fresh applications last month from political parties seeking registration after the Supreme Court had overruled as unconstitutional several conditions used by the body to deny 25 parties registration in June. All the five political parties that took legal action against INEC were registered in the latest exercise. With the registration of the parties, the coming general elections will be contested by the highest number of political parties ever since Nigeria adopted the presidential system of government in 1979. Only three political parties, the ruling People’s Democratic Party and the opposition All Nigeria People’s Party and Alliance for Democracy, were registered for the 1999 vote that ended more than 15 years of military rule in Africa’s most populous country.