By ISAIAH EKA

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has commenced review of the 2022 edition of political parties’ guidelines to ensure integrity and transparency in electoral process.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated this in his keynote address at the technical workshop on revision of INEC regulations and guidelines for political parties in Ikot Ekpene on Wednesday.

Amupitan stressed the need for harmonising guidelines for political parties with the recent enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.

He called on participants to ensure that the review met the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians to enhance active democratic process in the country.

The INEC chairman said that the commission was moving beyond the 2022 framework to address the sanitisation of operation of political parties.

“The integrity and transparency of our electoral processes are paramount to fostering public trust and ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of political affiliation, has a voice in shaping our nation’s future.

“The recent enactment of the Electoral Act 2026, which was assented to in February, has fundamentally recalibrated our statutory windows.

“The reduction in timelines creates a compressed operational environment that demands we work at unprecedented speed and with surgical precision.

“This workshop is not merely an administrative exercise; it is a legislative and operational realignment.

“We are here to harmonise our Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties with the 2026 Act,” Amupitan said.

According to him, political parties in Nigeria face the crisis of internal democracy, thus necessitating the need for them to conduct acceptable primaries to produce credible and acceptable candidates for elections.

Amupitan noted that the quality of internal party democracy has a direct bearing on the secondary election conducted by INEC.

“If unpopular candidates are forced upon the electorate through non-transparent processes, we face the twin monsters of voter apathy and an explosion of pre-election litigation.

“Our collective commitment is being challenged by leadership squabbles and involving the judiciary in politics.

“We must use this workshop to embed regulatory mechanisms that encourage constructive dialogue and internal dispute resolution, reminding party leaders that cohesive leadership is not an option; it is a democratic imperative,” he said.

The INEC chairman said that the commission would continue to play the role of an unbiased umpire, providing a level-playing field for all political parties in the country.

In his goodwill message, the Country Director, Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), Mr Adebowale Olorunmola, said with the recent enactment of the Electoral Act 2026, there had been some changes and improvements to meet the demands and expectations of the electorate.

Olorunmola said that there was the need for the guidelines and regulations to also be improved upon in order to give bite to the electoral act.

“The 2022 edition of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines served us well in the conduct of the 2023 general elections and other subsequent elections.

“However, ‘current realities’ are no longer what they were four years ago,” he said.

The WFD country director stated that the review of the guidelines should bring a new era where political parties were defined by their internal democracy and commitment to the Nigerian people.

He said that WFD remained a steadfast partner in the journey to ensure a successful outcome of the workshop to improve on Nigeria’s electoral process.

In his remarks, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom, Mr Obo Effanga, said that with the new Electoral Act, INEC must review the guidelines for political parties. (NAN)

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