The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given the nod to the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) and 13 other associations to apply for registration as political parties.
Having crossed the first stage of the scrutiny, the associations, according to the electoral agency, will move to the next stage of assessment, based on the guidelines for registration.
The leaders of the 14 associations have been invited for a meeting with INEC officials on Wednesday, thereby kick-starting the second stage of the process.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, said in a statement that the associations were cleared after meeting the requirements of the law.
He said at the second stage, their claims would be further verified before registration.
From three main parties in 1999, the number increased to 50 parties at a time, before it reduced to 18.
