The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, has strongly opposed key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, calling for immediate amendments to safeguard the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, made the call at a Consultative Meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on the Review of INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties in Abuja on Tuesday.
IPAC warned that the current law poses serious risks to the country’s democratic stability.
“Critical issues, if not urgently addressed, could undermine the integrity of our electoral process and jeopardise the success of the 2027 General Election,” Dantalle said.
He described the Electoral Act 2026 as a setback, noting that it failed to reflect the expectations of Nigerians who participated in public consultations.
“Rather than advancing our democratic journey, it represents a significant regression, one that must be urgently addressed in the national interest,” he stated.
Dantalle expressed concern that INEC had already based its 2027 election timetable on the disputed law, a move he said has placed “immense pressure on political parties, especially those outside government.”
IPAC’s demands include a review of the provision mandating direct primaries, which the council insists infringes on the internal autonomy of political parties.
“The choice of candidate selection methods remains an internal affair of political parties and must not be subjected to undue legislative interference,” he said.
The council also criticised the requirement for political parties to submit membership registers, including National Identification Numbers, NIN, within a narrow window in April.
“This provision risks disenfranchising a large segment of Nigerians who lack access to NIN registration facilities,” IPAC argued, calling for its removal in the interest of inclusivity.
On electoral transparency, IPAC reiterated its demand for mandatory electronic transmission of results, stressing that uploads to the IReV portal must occur immediately after polling unit declarations.
“This is a fundamental demand of the Nigerian people and a critical safeguard for electoral transparency,” he said. “Such occurrences must not be allowed to recur,” he added.
The council further raised concerns over what it described as weakened penalties for vote buying, urging the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to ensure accountability.
“We must collectively sanitise our political environment and uphold standards that inspire public trust,” Dantalle said, warning that voter apathy would persist without decisive reforms.
Earlier, INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN, defended the Commission’s updated guidelines, saying they were designed to ensure fairness and accountability across party operations.
Amupitan emphasised that credible elections begin long before polling day, particularly in the transparency of party primaries.
“Credible elections begin long before polling day; they begin in the transparency of the processes that produce the candidates. We cannot navigate a 2027 horizon using a 2022 map,” he stated.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the 2027 general elections are scheduled for January 16 for presidential and National Assembly polls, and February 6 for governorship and state assembly elections, noting that the compressed timeline demands “surgical precision.”
While urging political parties to engage constructively with the new regulations, Amupitan maintained that INEC remains committed to neutrality.
“INEC remains a neutral umpire, but we are no longer passive observers to the erosion of democratic values,” he said.
He acknowledged the importance of strengthening the electoral framework, noting that the Commission had reviewed its regulations to align with the new law.
“We meet today not merely as regulators and political actors, but as joint custodians of Nigeria’s democratic future,” he said.
