2027: INEC Unveils Revised 2026 Political Party Guidelines
The Independent National Electoral Commission has presented a revised draft of its 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, inviting contributions from party stakeholders to strengthen electoral processes before the 2027 general elections.
At a consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja on Tuesday, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan said the new regulations align with the Electoral Act 2026 and address shortcomings identified in earlier frameworks.
He stressed that electoral credibility depends on transparency in candidate selection, noting that “credible elections begin long before polling day; they begin in the transparency of the processes that produce the candidates.”
Amupitan explained that the revised guidelines emerged from a comprehensive review of the 2022 regulations, supported by empirical findings including the Political Party Performance Index developed with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The review, he said, exposed a “disturbing gap between party constitutions and grassroots realities.”
The new framework introduces reforms covering party registration and mergers, internal operations, primary elections, campaign activities, financial transparency, and deregistration conditions. “These guidelines aim to sanitise party primaries and end opaque processes that impose unpopular candidates, fuelling voter apathy and avoidable litigation,” he said.
On campaign finance, Amupitan noted that the Electoral Act 2026 empowers INEC to determine election expenses in consultation with political parties, urging stakeholders to scrutinise funding and expenditure clauses carefully.
With presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and governorship and state assembly polls set for February 6, 2027, he warned that the commission operates under a compressed timeline requiring “surgical precision.”
The draft regulations also incorporate measurable benchmarks to enhance participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Amupitan asked parties to view the regulations as safeguards rather than restrictions, stating that “by sharpening these rules, we are protecting the sovereign will of the Nigerian people from nomination to the final declaration of results.”
Reaffirming INEC’s neutrality, he added, “INEC remains a neutral umpire, but we are no longer passive observers to the erosion of democratic values.”
However, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Dr Yusuf Dantalle, raised concerns about provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, warning that unresolved issues could jeopardise the credibility of the 2027 polls.
“Critical issues, if not urgently addressed, could jeopardise the success of the 2027 General Election,” he said, describing the law as “a significant regression” rather than democratic progress.
Dantalle criticised provisions he said burden political parties, particularly those outside government, and called for reviewing mandatory direct primaries. “The choice of candidate selection methods remains an internal affair of political parties,” he said, urging the National Assembly to restore indirect primaries as an option.
He described as impractical the requirement for parties to submit membership registers, including National Identification Numbers, within limited timeframes, and demanded mandatory electronic transmission of results to avoid past failures. “This is a fundamental demand of the Nigerian people,” he added.
Dantalle emphasised the need for stronger measures against electoral malpractice, including establishing an Electoral Offences Commission, while warning that “the credibility of the Commission is at stake, and public confidence hinges on the assurance that every vote will count.” He noted that the international community would closely monitor Nigeria’s 2027 elections.