The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the registration of two new political parties, increasing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.

The newly registered parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). The announcement was made on Thursday by INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, during the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with political party stakeholders for 2026.

The meeting marked the first engagement between INEC and party leaders since Prof. Amupitan assumed office in October 2025.

According to the INEC chairman, the DLA successfully completed a rigorous verification process, while the NDC was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.

The consultative meeting was attended by representatives of major political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alongside its National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

The Labour Party was also represented at the meeting, led by Senator Nenadi Usman with its National Secretary, Senator Darlington Nwokocha.

Prof. Amupitan expressed concern over the increasing incidence of internal disputes within some political parties but assured stakeholders of INEC’s continued commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.