Nigeria registers 2 new parties

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday said it had registered two new political parties.

The INEC Secretary, Mrs. Chinwe Ogakwu, in a statement issued in Abuja, gave the names of the parties as the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) and the Independent Democrats (ID).

“The INEC has registered two new political parties in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

“The constitution, manifesto, logo/flag and list of National Executive Officers of each party have also been approved by the commission.”

The PDM is being linked with Nigeria’s former vice-president Atiku Abubakar. But in a swift response, he said he remains a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, but at the same time, he welcomes new political associations.

There were 63 parties in Nigeria, before the deregistration done by INEC against parties that have won no seat in any parliament in consecutive national polls. The action has now been ruled as illegal by a Nigerian court after Fresh Democratic Party sued the commission.

INEC recently registered the All Progressives Congress, an amalgam of the Action Congress, the ANPP and the CPC.