The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Thursday warned that political parties across the country may boycott the 2027 general elections if controversial provisions in the newly enacted Electoral Act 2026 are not urgently amended.
The law, which President Bola Tinubu recently approved, has features that could compromise internal party democracy and erode the legitimacy of the election process, according to the umbrella organization of registered political parties.
IPAC National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle addressed reporters following an urgent meeting with political party leaders and representatives at the council’s national secretariat in Abuja. He stated that if the National Assembly does not amend the provisions, the council has decided to mobilize parties nationwide to oppose them.
Although the Electoral Act 2026 was designed to correct irregularities in the Electoral Act 2022, according to Dantalle, a number of the new law’s provisions created new difficulties that could undermine multiparty democracy.
He said, “While appreciating the considerable effort and energy invested in the enactment of the new Electoral Act 2026, the Council notes with concern that certain provisions in the act have introduced new issues that are not conducive to the development of political parties, particularly in view of IPAC’s guiding principle of ‘Deepening Democracy in Nigeria.’
“Unfortunately, there are clear indications that some aspects of the new Electoral Act 2026 undermine this fundamental objective and are inconsistent with the spirit of multiparty democracy.”
Section 84(2) of the Act, which prohibits political parties from using indirect primaries, was explicitly criticized by IPAC as an infringement on the parties’ constitutional rights to govern their internal affairs.
“It is an established principle, affirmed by several judicial pronouncements, that political parties possess certain fundamental rights in the administration of their internal affairs. However, the new Electoral Act 2026 has curtailed this right through Section 84(2), which excludes indirect primaries.
“IPAC believes that the exclusion of indirect primaries constitutes a violation of the constitutional right of political parties to regulate their internal affairs, including determining the method of nominating their candidates for elections,” he stated.
The council also denounced the elimination of the need that election results be transmitted electronically, pointing out that the lack of this clause fueled the controversy surrounding the 2023 Nigerian presidential election.
Additionally, IPAC objected to the need that members of political parties upload their National Identification Number while registering for membership, cautioning that millions of Nigerians would lose their right to vote as a result of this policy.
“The mandatory electronic transmission of election results after announcement at polling units must be restored. Its absence was a major flaw during the 2023 presidential election, and such a lapse must not be allowed to undermine future elections, including the 2027 general elections.
“The requirement that members of political parties must possess and upload their National Identification Number (NIN) should be expunged. This provision will disenfranchise a significant number of Nigerians who do not have access to NIN and constitutes a violation of their rights under Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” Dantalle said.
Stronger penalties for vote buying, the reinstatement of false certificates as grounds for election petitions, and the expungement of Sections 77(4–7) are further areas that have been identified for modification.
Additionally, IPAC threatened to take the issue to the world community if the issues were not addressed.
“In the present circumstances, IPAC cannot fold its arms. The time to act is now. Accordingly, IPAC has resolved to draw the attention of Nigerians and the international community, including the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), ECOWAS, the US and UK embassies, and Nigerians in the diaspora to these concerns.
“Should the National Assembly fail to address these anomalies through urgent amendments to the Act, political parties under the umbrella of IPAC will be compelled to boycott the 2027 General Elections. In such circumstances, the outcome of the elections will be rejected as illegitimate and will not be recognized by the political parties,” the council warned.
Weeks after the Independent National Electoral Commission published the schedule for the 2027 general elections, Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law on February 18 in the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The National Assembly of Nigeria had already approved the law after discussions about important changes meant to improve the nation’s electoral system.
However, the change has rekindled debate over the electronic transmission of election results, a demand that opposition parties and civil society organizations have vigorously defended.
Protesters stormed the National Assembly complex in Abuja last month to demand that results from polling places be transmitted in real-time to INEC’s central server.
They cited the commission’s Results Viewing Portal collapsing during the 2023 elections, which led to widespread accusations of manipulation.
