The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) on Wednesday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prioritise restoring public trust in the electoral process, insisting that internal party disputes are not the major cause of voter apathy in the country.
The National Publicity Secretary of the NNPP, Ladipo Johnson, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja, reacting to recent concerns raised by the electoral umpire over the impact of internal wranglings within political parties on its operations.
Johnson acknowledged that legal battles arising from party disputes often drag INEC into court as a necessary party, thereby placing administrative pressure on the commission.
“It is, in a sense, understandable that INEC complains about the disturbances caused by internal party disputes.
“Because the commission is often joined as a necessary party in these suits, it inevitably drains their time and resources,” Johnson stated.
However, he argued that the more pressing challenge confronting Nigeria’s democracy is what he described as a deepening crisis of public confidence in the electoral system.
“While administrative hurdles are real, I strongly urge the INEC Chairman to recognise a far more dangerous reality.
“The greatest cause of voter apathy in Nigeria is not internal party friction; it is the widespread perception that INEC is complicit in subverting the will of the people,” Johnson remarked.
He added, “A large percentage of the voting public remains convinced that the system is rigged and that their ballots do not count. This crisis of confidence is the primary driver of voter apathy.
“Until INEC demonstrates absolute transparency and proves it is an unbiased arbiter, no amount of internal party stability will bring Nigerians back to the polling units.”
The NNPP maintained that while political parties must strengthen internal democracy and reduce avoidable litigation, INEC must “take a hard look in the mirror” and implement reforms capable of restoring the sanctity of the vote.
The party’s position comes hours after INEC announced the commencement of a review of the 2022 edition of its regulations and guidelines for political parties as part of efforts to enhance integrity and transparency in the electoral process.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this in his keynote address at a technical workshop on the revision of the commission’s regulations and guidelines for political parties held in Ikot Ekpene on Wednesday.
Amupitan stressed the need to harmonise existing guidelines with the recently enacted Electoral Act 2026, noting that the commission was moving beyond the 2022 framework to address what he described as the sanitisation of political party operations.
He called on stakeholders at the workshop to ensure that the review process reflects the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians and strengthens the country’s democratic process.
The PUNCH