By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
In what observers describe as a pre-emptive strike against the chaos that often trails Nigeria’s electoral cycles, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced a far-reaching overhaul of its Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties to align fully with the newly enacted Electoral Act 2026.
The move, coming more than a year ahead of the 2027 General Election, signals the Commission’s determination to shut down regulatory loopholes, curb pre-election disputes and restore public confidence in the democratic process.
The technical review exercise, convened under the leadership of INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, brings together National Commissioners, Directors, legal experts and electoral administrators for a detailed clause-by-clause reassessment of the 2022 regulatory framework.
With memories of litigations, disputed primaries and compliance breaches from previous elections still fresh, INEC is seeking early alignment of its subsidiary regulations with the Electoral Act 2026, a law that introduces significant changes in party administration, candidate nomination processes, dispute resolution and compliance obligations.
Beyond mere legal alignment, the Commission is targeting structural weaknesses that have plagued party politics opaque primaries, questionable membership registers, weak financial disclosures and exclusionary participation patterns.
“For elections to inspire public confidence, the institutions that produce candidates must themselves operate transparently and within the law,” the Chairman declared.
INEC is also mainstreaming findings from its Political Party Performance Index (PPPI), a diagnostic tool designed to expose systemic weaknesses in party governance nationwide.
The aim is to shift oversight from reactive punishment to proactive supervision anchored on measurable compliance standards.
Particular attention is being given to financial accountability, internal dispute prevention, accurate membership documentation, and enforceable benchmarks for women, youth and Persons with Disabilities within party structures.
The Commission believes early regulatory clarity will significantly reduce the wave of pre-election litigation that often clogs courts and distracts from election preparation.
Providing technical facilitation support is the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), alongside Nigerian legal and electoral experts.
WFD Nigeria Country Director, Adebowale Olorunmola, described the process as more than administrative revision.
“This isn’t just a review of a document; it is 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 stated.
At the conclusion of the exercise, a consolidated draft of the Revised Regulations and Guidelines (2026 Edition) will undergo internal validation before engagement with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and all registered political parties.
INEC maintains that credible elections begin long before polling day, and that institutional discipline within political parties remains the first test of electoral integrity.
As the 2027 political season gradually gathers momentum, the Commission appears determined to ensure that the next contest is fought on a firmer legal and regulatory foundation not in the courtroom.
