The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, has threatened to boycott the 2027 general elections if what it described as controversial provisions in the newly enacted Electoral Act 2026 are not urgently amended.
The council issued the warning after an emergency meeting of leaders and representatives of political parties held at its national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
Speaking on behalf of the parties, IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, said some provisions of the new law could undermine internal party democracy and weaken the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
He said the council had resolved to mobilise political parties across the country to resist the provisions if the National Assembly fails to correct them.
Mr Dantalle noted that although the Electoral Act 2026 was expected to address the shortcomings of the Electoral Act 2022, several sections of the new legislation had introduced fresh challenges capable of weakening Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
He said, “While appreciating the considerable effort and energy invested in the enactment of the new Electoral Act 2026, the council notes with concern that certain provisions in the Act have introduced new issues that are not conducive to the development of political parties, particularly in view of IPAC’s guiding principle of ‘Deepening Democracy in Nigeria.’
“Unfortunately, there are clear indications that some aspects of the new Electoral Act 2026 undermine this fundamental objective and are inconsistent with the spirit of multiparty democracy.”
IPAC specifically faulted Section 84(2) of the Act, which excludes the use of indirect primaries by political parties, describing the provision as an infringement on the constitutional rights of parties to manage their internal affairs.
“It is an established principle, affirmed by several judicial pronouncements, that political parties possess certain fundamental rights in the administration of their internal affairs. However, the new Electoral Act 2026 has curtailed this right through Section 84(2), which excludes indirect primaries.
“IPAC believes that the exclusion of indirect primaries constitutes a violation of the constitutional right of political parties to regulate their internal affairs, including determining the method of nominating their candidates for elections,” he said.
The council also criticised the removal of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, noting that the absence of such a provision contributed to controversies that trailed the 2023 presidential election.
IPAC further objected to the requirement that political party members must upload their National Identification Number, NIN, during membership registration, warning that the policy could disenfranchise millions of Nigerians.
“The requirement that members of political parties must possess and upload their National Identification Number (NIN) should be expunged. This provision will disenfranchise a significant number of Nigerians who do not have access to NIN and constitutes a violation of their rights under Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” Dantalle said.
He also warned that the council would escalate the matter to the international community if the concerns were ignored.
“In the present circumstances, IPAC cannot fold its arms. The time to act is now. Accordingly, IPAC has resolved to draw the attention of Nigerians and the international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, ECOWAS, the US and UK embassies, as well as Nigerians in the diaspora, to these concerns.
“Should the National Assembly fail to address these anomalies through urgent amendments to the Act, political parties under the umbrella of IPAC will be compelled to boycott the 2027 general elections.
“In such circumstances, the outcome of the elections will be rejected as illegitimate and will not be recognised by the political parties,” the council warned.
