INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has sounded a loud alarm over Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2026, warning that the removal of indirect primaries has triggered a “silent collapse of internal party democracy” and is steadily concentrating power in the hands of a few political elites.
This was as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) distanced itself from a lawsuit challenging the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The party accused its former National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, of instituting the legal action without the party’s approval.
Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and INEC have renewed efforts to strengthen collaboration aimed at ensuring credible elections in the country.
Speaking at INEC quarterly consultative meeting in Abuja, IPAC Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, said the decision to restrict political parties to direct primaries and consensus arrangements fundamentally altered how candidates emerge in Nigeria, stripping millions of party members of meaningful participation in candidate selection.
He warned that indirect primaries—long regarded as a stabilising mechanism within party structures—had effectively served as a democratic filter, allowing elected delegates to mediate between aspirants and grassroots members. Their removal, he said, has left a vacuum now being filled by “opaque negotiations, imposed consensus lists, and expensive direct contests that favour money and influence over legitimacy.”
“What is emerging is not internal democracy, but elite consolidation,” Dantalle warned. “The absence of indirect primaries has weakened internal accountability mechanisms and handed excessive control to party power blocs who now determine who appears on the ballot.”
He expressed IPAC’s readiness to work with INEC, the legislature, political parties and civil society groups to “reverse the creeping centralisation of power within parties” and restore genuine internal democracy before the 2027 elections.
IN a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, SDP described Agunloye’s suit as an act of impunity and a violation of due process, insisting that the plaintiff lacked the authority to initiate legal proceedings on behalf of the party.
According to the party, the lawsuit challenging aspects of INEC’s timetable for the 2027 General Elections was filed solely on Agunloye’s initiative and did not represent the position of the party or any of its constitutionally recognised organs.
It maintained that Agunloye, whom it described as an expelled former National Secretary, no longer possesses any legal authority to act on behalf of the party.
The party further alleged that correspondence exchanged with the law firm engaged in the matter showed that Agunloye independently retained legal representatives and commenced litigation capable of disrupting the party’s affairs and preparations for the 2027 elections.
“The former National Secretary, Mr Olu Agunloye, illegally and without lawful authority instituted a lawsuit challenging the INEC timetable without the approval, authorisation, or consent of the party,” the statement said.
SDP consequently dissociated from the suit and all actions taken by Agunloye and his associates in pursuing the litigation, stressing that the legal challenge does not reflect the party’s position.
THE EFCC/INEC partnership focuses on combating vote-buying, electoral fraud and other financial crimes that threaten the integrity of the democratic process.
The pact comes as preparations gather momentum for the coming off-cycle governorship elections and the 2027 general elections.
Both agencies have identified vote-buying and the illicit use of money during elections as major challenges that can undermine public confidence in the electoral system.
The anti-graft agency disclosed the development in a post on its official X page yesterday, following a courtesy visit by the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Obo Effanga, to the Benin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.
According to the commission, Effanga, who was recently deployed to Edo, said the visit formed part of efforts to engage critical stakeholders, particularly law enforcement agencies, as preparations gradually begin for the 2027 elections.
He noted that beyond stakeholder engagement, the visit was intended to explore areas of deeper cooperation between INEC and EFCC, especially in tackling electoral offences such as vote-buying and other forms of financial inducement during elections.
In a related development, the leadership of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Edo branch, also paid a courtesy visit to the Benin Zonal Directorate of the commission to seek areas of collaboration.
