Political Tension Rises Over New INEC Guidelines

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission has unveiled a draft set of political party regulations ahead of the 2027 general elections, triggering criticism from political parties and cautious reactions from civil society groups.

The draft Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2026 were presented on Monday during a consultative meeting with party leaders and stakeholders in Abuja.

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan said the proposed rules were designed to bring the commission’s regulatory framework in line with the Electoral Act 2026 and strengthen transparency in party operations ahead of the next election cycle.

“We cannot navigate a 2027 horizon using a 2022 map,” Amupitan said, adding that credible elections begin with transparent internal party processes and candidate emergence.

According to him, the draft followed a review of the 2022 regulations and was informed by field findings, including the Political Party Performance Index developed with support from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

The proposed guidelines cover party registration and mergers, internal administration, party primaries, campaign conduct, financial disclosure and deregistration. They also include new benchmarks intended to improve the participation of women, young people and persons with disabilities in party politics.

Amupitan said the commission was working under a tight electoral calendar, with presidential and National Assembly elections fixed for January 16, 2027, and governorship and state assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027.

He said the document remained a draft and would be revised after receiving feedback from political parties and other stakeholders.

However, the proposals drew immediate criticism from the Inter-Party Advisory Council.

IPAC National Chairman Dr Yusuf Dantalle described parts of the Electoral Act 2026 as burdensome and warned that some of the proposed compliance requirements could create fresh obstacles for political parties, especially smaller ones.

He called on the National Assembly to urgently amend the law, particularly the provision mandating direct primaries, arguing that parties should retain the right to choose their preferred mode of candidate selection.

Dantalle also faulted the requirement for parties to submit membership registers containing National Identification Numbers within a short period, saying the condition could disenfranchise members who do not yet have access to NIN registration.

He further urged the adoption of mandatory electronic transmission of election results and renewed calls for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to address vote-buying and other electoral abuses.

Civil society organisations took a more restrained position.

Yiaga Africa Executive Director Samson Itodo urged political parties to respond to the draft through constructive engagement, particularly around the timeline for submission of membership registers. He noted that the Electoral Act already allows parties to submit such registers not later than 21 days before their primaries.

Also reacting, CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Musa Rafsanjani described the draft guidelines as timely and necessary, but warned that their impact would depend largely on implementation, transparency and inclusion.

He said poorly designed enforcement could strengthen elite control within parties and weaken grassroots participation in Nigeria’s democratic process.

The development signals the beginning of what is likely to be a wider political and legal debate over the rules that will shape party conduct and electoral competition ahead of the 2027 polls.