INEC updates party guidelines to align with Electoral Act 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission has begun a comprehensive review of its Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties as part of preparations for the 2027 general election.
According to a statement on Sunday by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the review, convened under the leadership of Prof. Joash Amupitan in Abuja, is a critical phase of the commission’s ongoing reform agenda.
The exercise aims to strengthen oversight of political parties, improve compliance, reduce pre-election disputes, and boost public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
It will ensure alignment of party regulations with the recently assented Electoral Act 2026 and address emerging electoral realities.
The technical workshop involves national commissioners, directors across operational departments, legal experts, election administrators, and other institutional stakeholders, who will undertake a detailed clause-by-clause review of the 2022 regulatory framework governing political parties.
Participants are expected to “undertake a detailed clause-by-clause review of the 2022 regulatory framework governing political parties,” the statement said.
INEC noted that the Electoral Act 2026 introduces major legal and operational changes affecting party administration, candidate nominations, compliance obligations, dispute resolution, and the commission’s regulatory mandate.
Updating subsidiary regulations will ensure full legal alignment and operational clarity ahead of the next electoral cycle.
The commission said it is also drawing lessons from previous elections, citing challenges such as opaque party primaries, membership disputes, weak financial disclosures and exclusionary participation patterns that have contributed to avoidable litigation and uncertainty.
To guide the reforms, INEC is leveraging insights from the Political Party Performance Index, a diagnostic tool assessing systemic weaknesses in party governance and compliance nationwide. The aim is to shift oversight from reactive enforcement to proactive supervision anchored on measurable standards.
“For elections to inspire public confidence, the institutions that produce candidates must themselves operate transparently and within the law,” Amupitan said.
The workshop will also focus on financial accountability, dispute prevention, accurate membership documentation, and measurable benchmarks for the participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in party structures.
Technical support for the initiative is being provided by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy alongside Nigerian legal and electoral experts.
The Country Director of WFD Nigeria, Adebowale Olorunmola, described the review as a “reconstruction of the democratic foundation”.
“We are moving toward an era where political parties are held to the same high standards of integrity as the electoral commission itself,” he said.
INEC said the exercise will culminate in a consolidated draft of the Revised Regulations and Guidelines (2026 Edition), which will undergo internal validation before engagement with the Inter-Party Advisory Council and all registered political parties.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to continuous electoral reform and to ensuring that political parties remain strong democratic institutions capable of producing credible leadership choices for Nigerians.
