Nigeria, Sept. 11 -- The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially announced that 14 political associations have qualified to advance to the next stage of the registration process as political parties in Nigeria. This determination was made during the Commission's meeting on Thursday, where they also discussed preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.

In a statement issued by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC disclosed that it had received a total of 171 applications from groups seeking to register as political parties. The Commission assessed each request based ...