The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) has leveled a serious accusation against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), claiming the electoral umpire has refused to grant the group official recognition despite its full compliance with all statutory registration mandates.
Umar Ardo, a primary promoter of the ADA, detailed the group’s frustrations during a Tuesday, 23rd of December, 2025, appearance on Arise Television. He suggested that the commission is intentionally withholding registration from eligible associations and avoiding public accountability on the matter.
“The All Democratic Alliance has provided INEC with all the documents they require for registration,” Ardo stated, highlighting that the group had cleared every hurdle placed before them by the commission.
Ardo pointed out an unusual departure from INEC’s standard communication protocols. He claimed that while the commission typically issues public updates following its weekly meetings, it has remained silent regarding the status of new political associations.
“INEC did not register any of the associations, not one. And incidentally, virtually every Thursday when INEC meets and comes up with a decision, they usually give out a press release, updating Nigerians, but incidentally, in this situation, it was mute, it never made the press release. It never posted anything on his website, because it knows that public opinion will be highly against it,” he remarked.
The ADA promoter provided a breakdown of the rigorous selection process, noting that the group was among a very small fraction of applicants to reach the final stages. According to Ardo, the process involved significant financial commitments and technical submissions.
“Why? Because, out of the 172 that applied with letter of intent, they screened down to 14, and out of the 14, they sold the administrative fee of 2 million naira we paid, and then we went into its dedicated portal for the purpose of applying and we applied. Out of the 14, INEC pre-qualified eight and wrote us and said that we are ready for the next stage, which is the last stage for physical verification,” Ardo explained.
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Addressing the legal requirements for physical presence across Nigeria, Ardo asserted that the ADA’s administrative setup far exceeds the minimum standards required for a national political party. He noted that the commission had already conducted a physical audit of their facilities.
“INEC conducted our office verification, and our office is as well-equipped as any other political party’s office in terms of infrastructure. We ought to have at least 24 states and the FCT by law, but we have 36 states and the FCT represented,” Ardo noted.
Despite these milestones, the ADA claims that communication from the commission has ceased entirely, leaving the association in a state of political limbo.
“Now in acknowledging our application, there is a clause where INEC said that if there is any other any need for any information, they will contact us but they did not contact us,” he said.