Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria establishes the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the power to register and regulate political parties. Section 221–229 of the Constitution governs political parties: a political party must be registered by INEC, its members must be Nigerian citizens, and it must have a national spread across at least two-thirds of the states of the Federation. No political party shall have as members persons who are not Nigerian citizens.

Nigeria operates a multi-party system. As of 2024, there are 18 registered political parties recognised by INEC, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and others. Parties range from mass-based parties with broad membership to elite-driven parties formed around individual aspirants. The party landscape has evolved from the two-party system of the Third Republic (SDP/NRC) to the current pluralistic environment.

Under the Electoral Act 2022, every registered political party must maintain a hierarchical structure: Ward → Local Government → State → National. Each level must have democratically elected officials: Ward Executive, LGA Executive, State Executive, and National Executive. The National Convention is the supreme organ of the party, followed by the National Working Committee (NWC) which handles day-to-day operations. Failure to maintain these structures can lead to de-registration by INEC.