The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received letters of intent from two different political associations, both seeking to register under the acronym “ADA”, raising potential concerns over name duplication and legal compliance.
The two groups are the Advanced Democratic Alliance (ADA), chaired in the interim by Ahmadu Suleiman with Zipporah Pus Miracle as secretary, and the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), reportedly backed by prominent political figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai. The latter group listed Akin Ricketts and Abdullahi Musa Elayo as its protem chairman and secretary, respectively.
The electoral body disclosed this on Wednesday via its Facebook page, adding that it is processing the application requests of the parties with due diligence in conformity with the law.
INEC disclosed acknowledging all requests received so far, except six requests received recently, which will be done before the end of the week.
The appearance of two separate groups applying under the same acronym “ADA” has sparked comparisons to a notable 2013 case, when INEC rejected the application of the African Peoples Congress (APC) due to its similarity to the All Progressives Congress (APC), which was already a registered party.
In that instance, INEC cited a breach of Section 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that political associations submit names and addresses of their national officers as part of the registration process. The commission formally rejected the African Peoples Congress in a letter dated March 21, 2013, stating the group’s application lacked necessary details.
INEC yet to react
So far, INEC has not indicated whether either of the ADA factions meets constitutional or regulatory requirements for registration. However, officials stress that all applications must comply strictly with the legal framework.
Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, clarified that the submissions received so far are “expressions of interest,” not formal applications.
INEC has directed all prospective political associations to consult its 2022 handbook on party registration guidelines, available on its official website, for a complete understanding of eligibility and procedural compliance.
