2027 Election Voter Trust deficit: INEC, Parties trade blames

• Party infighting responsible for growing voter apathy – INEC
• Conduct credible polls to rebuild voter trust, parties tell INEC

BY BONNY AMADI

The Nigerian Inde- pendent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Wednesday, lamented that recurring leadership tussles and protracted intra-party disputes are diverting its attention from core election planning and contributing to voter apathy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, raised the concern at the opening of a three-day Technical Review Work- shop in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, where the Commission began a comprehensive review of its Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties in line with the Electoral Act 2026.

According to an INEC bulletin obtained by Vanguard in Abuja, the work- shop, supported by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, is aimed at strengthening the electoral framework and ensuring compliance with the new law as preparations intensify for 2027.

Amupitan warned, “The quality of internal party democracy has a direct bearing on the election conducted by INEC. Each day spent defending avoidable intra-party disputes is a day diverted from our primary mandate of election planning.

While the Commission remains neutral, it will enforce compliance firmly and consistently.”

New guidelines to tighten transparency, inclusion

The INEC chairman said the revised regulations would introduce stricter benchmarks for financial transparency, membership documentation and the inclusion of women, youths and Persons with Disabilities.

“We are not just editing a document. We are aligning our Regulations and Guidelines with the 2026 Act to ensure that our electoral architecture is not only robust in theory but strong in practice.

“The sovereign will of the Nigerian people must remain sacrosanct from the point of candidate nomination to the final declaration of results.”

He disclosed that under the revised timetable, presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027. Party primaries are expected between April 23 and May 30, 2026.

National Commissioner and Chairman of the Election and Party Monitoring Committee, Dr. Baba Bila, described the review as a strategic necessity, noting that existing guidelines require substantive amendments to give effect to the new Electoral Act.

Country Director of WFD Nigeria, Mr. Adebowale Olorunmola, urged political parties to evolve into inclusive and internally democratic institutions to safeguard the integrity of the 2027 polls.

Parties, senators fault INEC, demand credible polls

INEC’s position, however, drew sharp reactions from political leaders and parties, who accused the Commission of shifting blame instead of rebuilding public trust in the electoral process.