The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged political parties to conduct transparent and law-abiding primaries, stressing that the credibility of any general election begins with how candidates emerge.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the warning as parties prepare for primaries scheduled to hold between April 23 and May 30. He said the commission was already reviewing its regulations to align with the Electoral Act 2026 and evolving electoral realities ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, the new Electoral Act introduces significant changes affecting party administration, candidate nomination, compliance standards and dispute resolution. INEC, he said, is updating its guidelines to ensure full legal compliance and operational clarity well before the next electoral cycle.
Amupitan noted that persistent issues such as opaque primaries, internal membership disputes, weak financial disclosures and exclusionary practices have in the past fuelled litigation and electoral uncertainty. He said the commission was shifting from reactive enforcement to proactive supervision, using tools such as the Political Party Performance Index to identify weaknesses in party governance and compliance.
He added that credible elections do not begin on polling day but with the internal processes of political parties. “For elections to inspire public confidence, the institutions that produce candidates must themselves operate transparently and within the law,” he said.
Technical support for aspects of the regulatory review is being provided by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in collaboration with Nigerian legal and electoral experts, aimed at strengthening institutional reforms and promoting higher standards of integrity among political parties.
On electronic transmission of results, Amupitan assured Nigerians that the glitches experienced during the 2023 general election would not recur. Speaking at a citizens’ town hall in Abuja, he maintained that the commission has the capacity to transmit results electronically and that network adequacy, not availability, had previously posed challenges.
“Glitch has been eliminated. It will not resurface in Nigeria,” he said, while acknowledging that logistics and result management remain critical focus areas for improvement.
Although he promised that the 2027 general election would be the best conducted so far, the INEC chairman appealed to Nigerians to temper expectations, noting that achieving a completely flawless poll may not yet be possible. He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in the electoral process.
