By Lateef Ibrahim
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has called for urgent reforms to Nigeria’s electoral framework, arguing that provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 contributed significantly to the controversies that trailed political parties’ primary elections ahead of the 2027 general polls.
Speaking at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with political party leaders in Abuja, IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the nomination exercises across the political spectrum.
According to Dantalle, the primaries exposed serious legal, administrative and operational shortcomings that require immediate attention if Nigeria is to strengthen its democratic processes.
He specifically faulted Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which limits political parties to either direct primaries or consensus arrangements, following the removal of indirect primaries as a recognised method of candidate selection.
Dantalle argued that the restriction left many parties with limited options and pushed them into nomination processes that often failed to reflect genuine democratic competition.
The IPAC chairman noted that several parties resorted to consensus candidacies even in situations where multiple aspirants had purchased nomination forms and indicated interest in contesting.
While some aspirants accepted the outcomes in the interest of party cohesion, others rejected the arrangements and challenged the results, insisting that true consensus can only emerge when all contestants willingly agree.
According to him, the disputes generated by the primaries have already triggered litigation in several instances, creating fresh uncertainty within the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
Dantalle’s remarks add to growing calls from political stakeholders for a review of aspects of the Electoral Act to ensure future party primaries are more transparent, inclusive and less prone to disputes.
