The National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, has warned that political parties across Nigeria may boycott the 2027 general elections if contentious provisions in the amended Electoral Act are not urgently reviewed.
Dantalle issued the warning on Friday during an interview on Politics Today, where he said the council would mobilise political parties nationwide to resist aspects of the law it believes could undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
According to him, the council, which serves as the umbrella body for registered political parties in the country, arrived at the position after extensive deliberations involving leaders and representatives of several parties.
He said democracy thrives on inclusion, fairness and respect for the internal autonomy of political parties.
“Democracy is about inclusion; it is about free choice of the people,” Dantalle said during the interview. “The atmosphere must be fair, it must seem to be free and it must be inclusive for all political parties competing for power.”
He explained that the council had resolved to formally communicate its concerns to key stakeholders including the National Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission and international partners such as the European Union and ECOWAS.
“This is not a threat,” he said. “It is just a word of caution meant to bring Nigeria back to where all of us would be proud as Nigerians. We love this country and that is why we are doing this. It is not meant to injure anyone’s interest but to see that democracy is upheld for all of us.”
Among the key concerns raised by IPAC is the requirement that political parties must include the National Identification Number in the registration of their members within a short period of time.
Dantalle said the council does not oppose the policy itself but believes the timeline for implementation is unrealistic for political parties with nationwide structures.
“Five weeks or six weeks is not enough for political parties to go round the length and breadth of Nigeria to put this thing together,” he said.
He warned that the provision could lead to the disqualification of political parties that fail to meet the deadline, a situation he described as harmful to democratic participation.
“It is expected, according to the dictates of the law, that if you are not able to meet up, it automatically disqualifies such a political party and all its members from participating in the process. That is an aberration; it is inimical to democracy,” he said.
The IPAC chairman also criticised provisions affecting the conduct of party primaries, insisting that political parties should retain the constitutional right to determine how they select candidates for elections.
“It is meant to be purely the affairs of political parties to choose their own candidates the way they want,” he said.
According to him, removing indirect primaries as an option undermines the autonomy of political parties and contradicts established legal principles.
“Every party has its own constitution, so removing a procedure like indirect primaries is unconstitutional and undemocratic. It must be restored,” he added.
Dantalle also raised concerns about the reduction in penalties for vote buying and other electoral malpractices, warning that weakening sanctions could encourage abuse of the electoral process.
“We want to sanitise the system. We want credible Nigerians elected into positions of authority,” he said.
He further questioned provisions relating to the release of funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission six months before elections, arguing that the timeframe may be too short for proper election planning.
“The time is too close; it is so compressed that we believe INEC might not even be in a position to come out and say some of these things. So IPAC, as a bridge between INEC, the government and the people, should be able to speak for all of us,” he said.
Dantalle disclosed that most political parties represented in the council supported the resolution calling for amendments to the Electoral Act.
According to him, out of the 19 political parties currently active in Nigeria, about 17 or 18 backed the council’s position.
“In democracy, the majority will have their way and the minority will have their say,” he said, noting that although representatives of the ruling All Progressives Congress expressed reservations, the majority position prevailed.
He said discussions with lawmakers had already begun and that the council would formally submit its demands to the National Assembly.
“It is not about the National Assembly alone. It is about Nigeria, it is about democracy, it is about the future of Nigeria,” he said.
Dantalle warned that if the concerns raised by political parties are ignored, IPAC would reconvene to determine the next line of action.
“If these demands are not addressed, the parties will sit again and decide step by step what to do next,” he said.
He emphasised that the council’s position was aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s democratic system rather than destabilising it.
“Our goal is to sanitise the system and ensure that credible Nigerians are elected into positions of authority,” he added.
