The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced a comprehensive technical review of its Regulations and Guidelines for political parties to align them with the recently assented Electoral Act 2026 and emerging electoral realities.
The exercise, convened under the leadership of the Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN represented a critical phase in the Commission’s ongoing reform agenda aimed at strengthening political party oversight, improving compliance culture, reducing pre-election disputes, and enhancing public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The electoral body said aligning party regulations early with the Electoral Act 2026 would significantly reduce pre-election litigation and administrative disputes that often divert attention from election preparation and delivery.
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola in a statement issued yesterday said the Technical Workshop on the Revision of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for political parties would bring together National Commissioners and Directors across operational departments, legal experts, election administrators, and institutional stakeholders to undertake a detailed clause-by-clause review of the existing 2022 framework.
He noted: “The recently enacted Electoral Act 2026 introduces significant legal and operational changes affecting political party administration, candidate nomination processes, compliance obligations, dispute resolution mechanisms, and the Commission’s regulatory mandate.
“Consequently, INEC is reviewing its subsidiary regulations to ensure full legal alignment and operational clarity well ahead of the next electoral cycle.
“Beyond legal compliance, the Commission is drawing lessons from previous elections to strengthen preventive regulation.
“Persistent challenges such as opaque party primaries, membership disputes, weak financial disclosure practices, and exclusionary participation patterns have contributed to avoidable litigation and electoral uncertainty. Addressing these gaps early remains central to the Commission’s preparations for 2027.”
Amupitan stressed that to support evidence-based reforms, INEC is mainstreaming findings from the Political Party Performance Index (PPPI), a diagnostic assessment tool that identifies systemic weaknesses in party governance and compliance practices across the country.