The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deregistered 74 political parties.
Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, announced this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
He said this because of their failure to meet various criteria stipulated by the constitution during the elections.
The INEC chairman said the number of Nigeria’s political parties are now 18.
Among the affected parties are: Fresh Party, founded by Chris Okotie, a pastor; National Conscience Party, founded by Gani Fawehinmi, the late human rights lawyer, and Kowa Party.
The national assembly recently amended the constitution to allow INEC deregister political parties on the following grounds: “breach of any of the requirements for registration as a party, failure to win at least 25 percent of the votes cast in one state in a presidential election or 25 percent of the votes cast in one local government area, and failure to win at least one ward in a chairmanship election, one seat in the national or state assembly election or one seat in a councilorship election”.
Yakubu said INEC carried out an assessment of the political parties to determine compliance with the requirements for their registration.
He said they were assessed on the basis of their performance in the general elections as well as in the area council elections in the federal capital territory (FCT), after which 75 were found to not have met the aforementioned criteria.
He, however, said one of the parties — Action Peoples Party — obtained a court order restricting their deregistration.
The 74 de-registered parties are:
| S/NO. | NAME OF PARTY | ACRONYM |
| 1. | ADVANCED ALLIED PARTY | AAP |
| 2. | ALL BLENDING PARTY | ABP |
| 3. | ADVANCED CONGRESS OF DEMOCRATS | ACD |
| 4. | ALLIED CONGRESS PARTY OF NIGERIA | ACPN |
| 5. | ALLIANCE FOR DEMOCRACY | AD |
| 6. | ALL GRASSROOTS ALLIANCE | AGA |
| 7. | ALL GRAND ALLIANCE PARTY | AGAP |
| 8. | ADVANCED NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY | ANDP |
| 9. | ALLIANCE FOR NEW NIGERIA | ANN |
| 10. | ALLIANCE NATIONAL PARTY | ANP |
| 11. | ABUNDANT NIGERIA RENEWAL PARTY | ANRP |
| 12. | AFRICAN PEOPLES ALLIANCE | APA |
| 13. | ADVANCED PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE | APDA |
| 14. | ALTERNATIVE PARTY OF NIGERIA | APN |
| 15. | ALLIANCE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATS | ASD |
| 16. | ALLIANCE FOR A UNITED NIGERIA | AUN |
| 17. | BETTER NIGERIA PROGRESSIVE PARTY | BNPP |
| 18. | CHANGE ADVOCACY PARTY | CAP |
| 19. | COALITION FOR CHANGE | C4C |
| 20. | CHANGE NIGERIA PARTY | CNP |
| 21. | CONGRESS OF PATRIOTS | COP |
| 22. | DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVE | DA |
| 23. | DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES CONGRESS | DPC |
| 24. | DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES PARTY | DPP |
| 25. | FRESH DEMOCRATIC PARTY | FRESH |
| 26. | FREEDOM AND JUSTICE PARTY | FJP |
| 27. | GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT PARTY OF NIGERIA | GDPN |
| 28. | GREEN PARTY OF NIGERIA | GPN |
| 29. | HOPE DEMOCRATIC PARTY | HDP |
| 30. | INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS | ID |
| 31. | JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL PARTY | JMPP |
| 32. | KOWA PARTY | KP |
| 33. | LIBERATION MOVEMENT | LM |
| 34. | LEGACY PARTY OF NIGERIA | LPN |
| 35. | MASS ACTION JOINT ALLIANCE | MAJA |
| 36. | MODERN DEMOCRATIC PARTY | MDP |
| 37. | MASSES MOVEMENT OF NIGERIA | MMN |
| 38. | MEGA PARTY OF NIGERIA | MPN |
| 39. | MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION AND DEFENCE OF DEMOCRACY | MRDD |
| 40. | NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL | NAC |
| 41. | NIGERIA COMMUNITY MOVEMENT PARTY | NCMP |
| 42. | NATIONAL CONSCIENCE PARTY | NCP |
| 43. | NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PARTY | NDCP |
| 44. | NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC LIBERTY PARTY | NDLP |
| 45. | NIGERIA ELEMENTS PROGRESSIVE PARTY | NEPP |
| 46. | NIGERIA FOR DEMOCRACY | NFD |
| 47. | NEW GENERATION PARTY OF NIGERIA | NGP |
| 48. | NATIONAL INTEREST PARTY | NIP |
| 49. | NIGERIA PEOPLES CONGRESS | NPC |
| 50. | NEW PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT | NPM |
| 51. | NATIONAL UNITY PARTY | NUP |
| 52. | PEOPLES COALITION PARTY | PCP |
| 53. | PEOPLES FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE | PDC |
| 54. | PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT | PDM |
| 55. | PROGRESSIVE PEOPLES ALLIANCE | PPA |
| 56. | PROVIDENCE PEOPLES CONGRESS | PPC |
| 57. | PEOPLES PARTY OF NIGERIA | PPN |
| 58. | PEOPLES PROGRESSIVE PARTY | PPP |
| 59. | PEOPLES TRUST | PT |
| 60. | REFORM AND ADVANCEMENT PARTY | RAP |
| 61. | RE-BUILD NIGERIA PARTY | RBNP |
| 62. | RESTORATION PARTY OF NIGERIA | RP |
| 63. | SAVE NIGERIA CONGRESS | SNC |
| 64. | SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL PARTY | SNP |
| 65. | SOCIALIST PARTY OF NIGERIA | SPN |
| 66. | UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY | UDP |
| 67. | UNITED PATRIOTS | UP |
| 68. | UNITED PEOPLES CONGRESS | UPC |
| 69. | UNITY PARTY OF NIGERIA | UPN |
| 70. | UNITED PROGRESSIVE PARTY | UPP |
| 71. | WE THE PEOPLE NIGERIA | WTPN |
| 72. | YOUNG DEMOCRATIC PARTY | YDP |
| 73. | YES ELECTORATES SOLIDARITY | YES |
| 74. | YOUTH PARTY | YP |
Source: TheCable
