Party Disputes Are Distracting Us – INEC

Prof. Joash Amupitan

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said that recurring leadership tussles and protracted intra-party disputes have been distracting. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, recently raised the concern at the opening of a three-day Technical Review Workshop in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

As the Commission began a comprehensive review of its Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties in line with the Electoral Act 2026, Amupitan said that party disputes are diverting INEC’s attention from core election planning and contributing to voter apathy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He added that the revised regulations would introduce stricter benchmarks for financial transparency, membership documentation and the inclusion of women, youths and Persons with Disabilities.

His words, “The quality of internal party democracy has a direct bearing on the election conducted by INEC. Each day spent defending avoidable intra-party disputes is a day diverted from our primary mandate of election planning.

While the Commission remains neutral, it will enforce compliance firmly and consistently.

We are not just editing a document. We are aligning our Regulations and Guidelines with the 2026 Act to ensure that our electoral architecture is not only robust in theory but strong in practice.”

WOW.