In a move that has reignited debate over the value and purpose of Nigeria’s multi-party system, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially registered two new political parties, bringing the total number of recognised parties in the country to 21 ahead of the 2027 general election, which is less than a year away.

The newly recognised parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). The announcement was made by Joash Amupitan, a professor and INEC chairman, during the Commission’s first regular consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to INEC, the DLA successfully met all legal requirements set out in the Constitution, the Electoral Act and INEC’s own guidelines after a rigorous screening process.

The Commission said the registration of the NDC followed a recent Federal High Court order directing the Commission to grant it party status.

INEC also disclosed that it received 171 letters of intent from associations seeking registration, but only a handful made it past this later stage.

Criticisms: Are new parties desirable now?

Since after the 2023 polls, there have been agitations from politicians that there was a need for more political parties to be registered ahead of 2027.

So, the news of the registration did not come as a surprise to many.

But while INEC celebrates the expansion of the political landscape, the move has drawn sharp criticism from some quarters of the political class, with voices arguing that the frequent registration of parties may not add meaningful value to democratic choice.

Political analysts say that the problem with Nigeria’s electoral process is not about the number of parties, but the weak electoral framework which guides the conduct of elections by INEC.

Many argue that even some of the existing political parties are not active in their core functions, have no presence at the grassroots, while becoming trading platforms for politicians.

“It is like we are running away from the real issue, which is to make elections credible, and that can only be done when we strengthen our Electoral Act, but we are not serious,” Osagie Nosa, a lawyer, told BusinessDay.

The lawyer noted that existing parties were only after what they can get from the ruling parties, saying that they have shied away from their core functions, with many of them only existing in Abuja and in the media space, with no grassroots presence.

“They can’t even relate with the people, know their problems and mobilise for elections. Even the existing parties — how many of them are active? It is the same APC and ADC.”

Speaking further, the lawyer argued that registering new parties could help the country deepen democracy and open up the electoral space if genuine people with the intention to serve the country were in politics.

Umar Ardo, promoter of the All-Democratic Alliance (ADA), an association that has been seeking party status, criticised INEC’s process and questioned the logic of registering some groups while others that also claim compliance are left in limbo.

He expressed frustration over the perceived inconsistency, especially regarding the judicially ordered registration of the NDC.

Similarly, Lukman Oniyih, a politician, dismissed the chances of the new political parties making any impact in the 2027 polls, stressing that the current electoral system in Nigeria was too capital-intensive for those without money to succeed.

“They can register them, but the question is: can they compete with APC? Obviously not,” he said.

Where are the parties? Visibility and relevance challenges

Despite the numerical growth in parties, many Nigerians struggle to name or recognise most of them. Outside the major players — the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — and a few others like the Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), most registered parties remain fringe formations with minimal public profiles or electoral impact.

Many of them do not even have state offices in major cities across Nigeria and only operate as trading platforms for owners to sell tickets to aspirants.

In the 2023 presidential poll, only seven out of the 18 political parties presented candidates for the election.

When pressed on why they have refused to function or carry out their constitutional mandates, the parties often complain of limited funds or inability to secure wealthy political actors to bankroll their programmes.

This raises questions about the real function of these additional parties, since few of the lesser-known parties have resources or grassroots networks strong enough to contest elections effectively.

“Many of the new or minor parties struggle to articulate distinct platforms that resonate with voters beyond general calls for reform or change,” Favour Okon, a political analyst, said.

Nigeria’s voter turnout has been on a declining trend, hitting historic lows in recent elections. Experts say this highlights a growing sense of disillusionment that neither new nor old parties have convincingly addressed.

Democracy or distraction? The larger debate ahead of 2027

Supporters of a broad party system argue that more parties mean more choices and more opportunities for different voices to be heard, especially for youth, women and minorities who feel marginalised by the dominant political parties in Nigeria at the moment.

However, critics contend that simply registering more parties without strengthening internal party democracy, accountability, controversies that have trailed the conduct of elections, funding transparency and grassroots organisation does little to deepen democratic practice.

They warn that superficial proliferation of political parties can fragment opposition efforts, confuse voters and dilute genuine policy debates, especially in a high-stakes election year like 2027.

Many political observers wonder if Nigeria should continue to increase the number of political parties just for the sake of numbers.

Analysts say the focus should be on creating parties that are credible, visible and capable of presenting clear alternatives to the electorate.

As the 2027 general elections draw closer, this tension between quantity and quality in party politics is likely to continue to dominate conversations. (BusinessDay)