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Following their poor outing during the 2019 general elections and the previous polls in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, February 6, reduced the number of registered political parties.

According to reports, the electoral body affirmed 18 political parties after it deregistered 74 parties that participated during the last general election. Some notable Nigerians have been calling for the deregistration of some parties in order to pave way for a healthy political contest among the major political parties in the subsequent elections. One of the reasons for the call was the fact that it gives the ruling party an opportunity to always manipulate the process and the outcome of the election. It is believed that the two-party system as being practised during the 1993 presidential election would be better for Nigeria's political space now because politicians would either be in party A or B. Mahmood Yakubu, who is the chairman of the electoral body, on Thursday, February 6, announced the deregistration of 74 parties at a press conference in Abuja.  He said the parties were axed 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.

List of political parties left :

1. Accord Party A
2. Action Alliance AA
3. African Action Congress AAC
4. African Democratic Congress ADC
5. African Democratic Party ADP
6. All Progressives Congress APC
7. All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA
8. Allied Peoples Movement APM
9. Labour Party LP 10. New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP
11. National Rescue Movement NRM
12. Peoples Democratic Party PDP
13. Peoples Redemption Party PRP
14. Social Democratic Party SDP
15. Young Progressive Party YPP
16. Zenith Labour Party ZLP
17. Action Peoples Party APP
18. Boot Party BT