The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted claims making the rounds online that it has approved the registration of two new political parties—Independent Democrats and Peoples Democratic Movement.
In a statement released on Wednesday via its official X account, the commission dismissed the report as untrue and called on the public to disregard it.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission has not yet registered any new party.
“The current number of registered political parties in Nigeria is 19. Nothing has been added,” INEC stated.
The electoral body also took time to clarify the status of the two political groups mentioned in the false report, explaining that they were previously registered but later removed from the list of recognized parties.
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“It will be recalled that both the ‘Independent Democrats’ and ‘Peoples Democratic Movement’ were registered as political parties in August 2013.
“However, they were deregistered in February 2020 in accordance with Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the commission said.
INEC reiterated its dedication to upholding transparency and constitutional guidelines in all its activities and urged Nigerians not to fall for misinformation.
“We urge the public to disregard the said report,” it said.
