Abuja: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday unveiled the draft 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, ahead of the 2027 general elections. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, did the unveiling at the consultative meeting with leaders of political parties on the review of INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties in Abuja. Amupitan stated that the review was necessary following the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026, emphasizing that Nigeria could not navigate the 2027 horizon using a 2022 map.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Amupitan highlighted the importance of Clause 40(4) and (5) of the draft regulation, which addresses election expenses for the management of party primaries and election conduct. He detailed that INEC had completed a clause-by-clause realignment of its guidelines to ensure they were legally robust and in sync with the new Act. The review was guided by findings from the Political Party Performance Index (PPPI), developed with the support of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), which identified a gap between party constitutions and grassroots realities.
The newly drafted regulations cover crucial areas central to political party operations, including registration and merger processes. Amupitan underscored that clear guidelines had been established to govern political party operations to ensure compliance with laws and promote accountability. The aim is to sanitize party primaries, ending opaque processes that impose unpopular candidates and fuel voter apathy. Regulations have also been set to ensure peaceful campaign activities and respect for citizens’ rights and dignity.
Amupitan further emphasized standards for the financing of political activities, highlighting the need for transparency and accountability in managing party funds and campaign expenses. Provisions have been included to define circumstances for deregistering a political party and benchmarks for women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) participation.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, called on the National Assembly to urgently amend the 2026 Electoral Act to prevent jeopardizing the 2027 polls. Dantalle argued that the final Act represented a regression, placing immense pressure on political parties, especially those outside government. He specifically demanded the reconsideration of the provision mandating direct primaries and the restoration of indirect primaries as an option.
Dantalle also criticized the requirement for parties to submit membership registers, including National Identification Numbers (NIN), as impractical and exclusionary, warning it risked disenfranchising Nigerians lacking NIN registration access. He demanded the restoration of mandatory electronic transmission of results to the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal immediately after announcements at polling units.
Dantalle expressed concerns over the weakening of penalties for vote buying in the new Electoral Act and reiterated IPAC’s call for establishing an Electoral Offences Commission to ensure accountability for violators.