The convener of the League of Northern Democrats and a leading promoter of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Dr Umar Ardo, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately restricting Nigeria’s political space by refusing to register new political parties.
Speaking on ARISE News on Tuesday, Ardo warned that continued exclusion of opposition platforms could reduce elections to mere “affirmation exercises” rather than genuine democratic contests.
Ardo said INEC failed to provide any formal explanation for declining to register ADA, despite the group meeting all constitutional and procedural requirements.
“INEC did not register any of the associations, not even one,” he said. “There was no press release and nothing on its website, because public opinion would clearly be against such a decision.”
He explained that out of 172 associations that submitted letters of intent to register as political parties, INEC screened the number down to 14, including ADA, and collected a non-refundable administrative fee of ₦2 million from each group.
According to him, the application process was conducted through INEC’s online portal, which required strict compliance with statutory provisions.
“If you fail to fill any section of the portal, you cannot submit the application. We complied fully and met every legal requirement,” Ardo stated.
He further disclosed that ADA was among eight associations pre-qualified by INEC for the final stage of physical verification, which involved inspection of offices, documents, and party executives.
“INEC officials visited our office on August 8 and conducted a verification exercise that lasted nearly four hours,” he said. “They confirmed our infrastructure, staffing, and documentation, which are comparable to those of major parties like the PDP and APC.”
Ardo added that ADA exceeded the constitutional requirement for national spread, presenting executives from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, well above the minimum requirement of 24 states.
He also dismissed claims that ADA’s application was rejected due to an earlier clerical error involving INEC’s name, stating that the issue had been corrected and formally acknowledged by the commission months earlier.
Linking the rejection to a broader trend, Ardo argued that opposition parties across the country were facing systemic pressure.
“The crisis in the PDP is only a symptom,” he said. “The Labour Party, SDP, ADC, NNPP — all opposition parties are experiencing existential threats.”
He faulted INEC for failing to strengthen democracy by broadening political participation.
“INEC should have registered at least one or two new parties to expand the political space,” he said.
Ardo warned that weakening opposition parties benefits incumbents and undermines democratic competition.
“When elections are not challenged by strong opposition, they become affirmation exercises,” he said, adding that internal weaknesses within political parties are often exploited to destabilise them.
He concluded by stressing the need for INEC to act as a truly independent umpire.
“At times like this, the electoral body must stand firm and create a level playing field,” Ardo said. “Without strong institutions and fair competition, Nigeria’s democracy is at serious risk.”
