Group faults INEC’s 2026 electoral guidelines, seeks review

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The Movement for Credible Elections has criticised the 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, describing them as overregulated, impractical and insufficient to guarantee credible elections ahead of the 2027 general polls.

In a press statement released on Wednesday in Abuja and signed by its Head of the National Secretariat, Olawale Okunniyi, the group warned that the guidelines, if left unchanged, could alienate grassroots voters, stifle smaller political parties and worsen voter apathy across the country.

The group acknowledged INEC’s stated intention to improve transparency in the electoral process, particularly in the conduct of party primaries, but argued that the framework “falls far short of the structural transformation required to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.”

The group stressed that, “While the framework reflects some attempts at reforms, it falls far short of the structural transformation required to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general elections”. Punch