•It is desirable —NNPP •We will encourage them to boycott — APC
•It’s too early but not foreclosed —ADC
•Our focus is how to put our house in order —LP
•Lawyers, CSO weigh in
VARIED reactions have trailed last week’s threat of boycott of the 2027 general elections by a forum of existing political parties, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (PAC).
In a communiqué issued at the end of the Council’s General Assembly meeting held at its National Secretariat in Abuja, the Forum demanded a review of certain provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
The communique signed by the National Chairman Yusuf M. Dantalle and National Secretary, Maxwell Mgbudem demanded that the indirect mode of primaries be restored as its exclusion from the mode of selection candidates by political party is an infringement on the constitutional right of political parties to determine their own affairs.
The group insisted that “Indirect primaries must be restored as it remains the prerogative of political parties to determine the method of selecting their candidates.”
It also demanded: “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.”
It warned that political parties under its umbrella may boycott the forthcoming general elections if the National Assembly did not review the provisions.
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune in a telephone interview, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi suggested that the ADC which has equally kicked against certain provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 may not buy the idea of boycott of elections.
He said: “We are a member of the IPAC. Should that become necessary, we will take a position.”
National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, dismissed the stance of IPAC as empty.
He told Nigerian Tribune that the National Assembly by virtue of provisions of Section 4 of the Constitution is empowered to make laws.
He said: “It’s part of their rights to boycott and we will encourage them to boycott. They can’t be threatening established institutions.
“Section 4 of the Constitution gives the National Assembly power to make laws.
“If they want an amendment, they should go back to the National Assembly.”
Speaking to the restrictions of political parties to direct and consensus arrangement in the Act which excluded indirect primaries, Senator Basiru submitted that “political parties can come to an agreement to either pick direct or consensus. Are they saying that they don’t trust their members?
“We will encourage them to boycott. They are acting out of ignorance,” he said.
He added: “I will also call on INEC to deregister them. They should go ahead and boycott. The ones they participated in, did they win any seat? So, we will encourage them to boycott. Nigerians won’t miss them.”
The New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), however, aligned itself with the threat of boycott by the leadership of IPAC.
In a telephone interview, its National Chairman, Dr Ajuji Ahmed said the Electoral Act 2026 confers undue advantage on the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He said: “Of course it is possible if a united political front is presented by the political parties. The aspects of the Act are so dramatic and so severely detrimental to free and fair elections, therefore it wouldn’t be surprising if political parties protest against that by showing their displeasure by boycotting the elections.”
He maintained that the Electoral Act has been tilted in the favour of the APC already having close to 60% to 65% advantage before the election dates.
“What I’m saying is that the way the Electoral Act is formed, formulated, it’s going to be difficult for any united front defeating them because they have already given themselves close to 60, 65% of the advantages in an election before the election date comes.”
In his reaction, Chairman of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, who spoke through her media aide, Ken Asogwa told Nigerian Tribune that the focus of the party was how to put its house in order having survived protracted leadership tussle.
He declared that the general elections is still 10 months away.
He said: “As a party, LP is much more focused now on restoring our internal structures.”
National Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, also said his party would be willing to adopt IPAC call on boycott of elections.
He said: “The SDP is strongly against the undemocratic schemes by the APC-controlled National Assembly to armtwist opposition political parties with the provisions of the new Electoral Act.
“The SDP aligns with the position of IPAC on the matter and calls for the amendments.”
Some senior lawyers and a key civil society organization in Nigeria have offered diverse views as political parties under the aegis of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Thursday warned that they would boycott 2027 general elections if lawmakers fail to address concerns over the Electoral Act 2026.
Speaking on the development on Sunday, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Salman Jawondo (SAN), said the debate around direct and indirect primaries was largely driven by political interests, noting that both systems are susceptible to manipulation depending on the actors involved.
“On the issue of the Electoral Act as regards delegate or direct primaries, the issue is just that politicians believe in making so much noise about certain things. Which of the methods is not subject to manipulation, if I may ask?” he said.
Jawondo noted that from a political standpoint, the direct primary system could be preferable to the delegate method which he said has often been abused in Nigeria’s political environment.
“As someone in politics, I think of direct primaries are more important than the delegate system because once you elect delegates, they automatically become ‘delicate’ in our present system, collecting money left, right and centre, and even those who elect them cannot control them or have a say in the way they vote,” he said.
In his reaction, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Taiye Oniyide, said the method of conducting party primaries varies across jurisdictions and should be guided by democratic principles rather than rigid preferences for a particular system.
“There are different measures in the ways primaries are conducted peculiar to a particular jurisdiction. What obtains in Nigeria may not obtain in other climes,” he said.
According to him, what matters most is that party members are given the opportunity to freely choose their candidates.
“All that matters in this issue to me is that the right thing be done on the basis of democratic principles to allow people to vote for who they want to vote for,” he said.
Oniyide added that if internal party elections are conducted transparently and produce credible leaders, the debate over the system adopted may become less significant.
CISLAC responds
Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has expressed concern over the threat by the IPAC to boycott the 2027 Nigerian general elections if the Electoral Act 2026 is not amended.
CISLAC acknowledged the importance of inclusive consultations and constructive engagement in strengthening Nigeria’s democratic framework.
However, the organisation said it believed that threats to boycott elections risk undermining democratic stability and could weaken public confidence in the electoral process as elections remain the cornerstone of democracy, and all stakeholders particularly political parties have a responsibility to protect and strengthen democratic institutions rather than disengage from them.
The organisation noted that IPAC’s concerns regarding the restriction of party primaries to direct primaries and consensus, as well as the requirement for the submission of National Identification Numbers (NIN) for party membership records, deserve careful consideration and dialogue among stakeholders.
While political parties should have reasonable autonomy in determining their internal nomination processes, such processes, CISLAC added, must also align with broader democratic principles of transparency, inclusivity, and accountability.
CISLAC further recognized that the use of national identification systems such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database can support transparency and curb manipulation in party membership registers. Nevertheless, the organization cautioned that any requirement tied to the National Identification Number must take into account the existing gaps in national ID coverage to avoid the unintended disenfranchisement of eligible Nigerians who may not yet possess the identification number.