2027: Political Actors Navigate Muddled Electoral Process

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…Analysts Blame Weak Internal Party Democracy

…INEC’s Poor Enforcement Mechanism

…Say Courts Dictating Pace Of Activities Through Conflicting Rulings

LAGOS – Barrister Olalekan Festus Ojo, Lagos-based human rights lawyer and advo­cate of social justice, has attributed the current confusion in the Nigerian polity ahead of the 2027 general elections to sys­temic failures in multiple institu­tions simultaneously.

Barrister Ojo, the Managing Part­ner, Platinum & Taylor Hill LP, one of Nigeria’s leading law firms, who spoke to Sunday Independent that the existing confusion is neither accidental, nor surprising, but is predictable.

He said: “At the root is the funda­mental collapse of internal party de­mocracy. Nigerian political parties remain essentially vehicles for elite ambition, rather than ideologically grounded democratic institutions.

“Without transparent primaries, credible candidate emergence pro­cesses, or enforceable party constitu­tions, confusion becomes inevitable and litigation becomes the default dispute resolution mechanism.

“The Independent National Elec­toral Commission (INEC) bears sig­nificant institutional responsibility. Regulatory ambiguity surrounding candidate substitution, court-or­dered inclusion or exclusion of can­didates, and the Commission’s incon­sistent application of the Electoral Act 2026 have created a legal laby­rinth that even experienced practi­tioners navigate with difficulty.

“When the electoral umpire ap­pears uncertain of its own rules, chaos cascades downward through every tier of the political process.

“Compounding this is the judicia­ry’s issuance of conflicting orders from courts of coordinate jurisdic­tion, each purporting to determine legitimate candidacy, leaving INEC paralysed between contradictory judicial commands.

“Ultimately, this confusion reflects a democracy still struggling to mature. What Nigeria urgently needs is deci­sive electoral reform, stronger judicial coordination, and political parties that genuinely respect their own rules.

“Without these, 2027 risks becoming our most chaotic election, yet.”

Barrister Kenneth Udeze, the National Chairman of Ac­tion Alliance (AA), one of the nation’s political parties, main­tained that the current confu­sion ahead of the 2027 elections largely stems from weak inter­nal party democracy and INEC’s enforcement gaps.

Explaining the causes of the current confusion, Chief Udeze pointed at imposition of candidates and holding of par­allel primaries by political party factions.

He said that many parties sidestep transparent primaries, thereby producing rival candi­dates, which in turn led to sev­eral court cases.

Udeze also noted that several politicians switched parties late, thereby destabilising structures and INEC’s candidate lists.

He also noted that INEC Guidelines came out late, even as its provisions were ambigu­ous, stressing that the Electoral Act timelines and nomination rules were often contested, giv­ing room for litigations.

JUDICIAL OVERLOAD

The AA stalwart also pointed at what he termed judicial over­load, explaining that the courts become the final arbiter, and in the process delaying clarity on who is legitimate.

Udeze, in conclusion, stated that “Without stricter party compliance, earlier primaries, and INEC applying sanctions consistently, the cycle of confu­sion will persist.”

Apostle Bolaji O. Akinyemi, a Christian activist and cleric, said the growing confusion ahead of the 2027 elections stems largely from weak internal par­ty democracy, unresolved legal ambiguities, and inconsistent compliance with electoral laws by both political parties and reg­ulatory institutions.

Dr Akinyemi, the Convener, The Apostolic Round Table (ART), stated: “Many parties have yet to strengthen their internal governance, while recurring disputes over mem­bership, primaries, coalition arrangements, and candidate nominations create uncertainty.

“The challenge also exposes deeper structural issues in Nige­ria’s constitutional and electoral framework. What Nigeria needs is greater legal clarity, timely enforcement of electoral rules, transparent party processes, and stronger institutional coor­dination, so that voters, not pro­longed litigation or procedural confusion, ultimately determine electoral outcomes.”

Chinecherem Nelson Mad­ubuike, an African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, said the current seeming confusion in the political horizons is not out of place because it has al­ways been there at every elec­toral cycle.

Madubike, the ADC Sec­retary for Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area in Lagos, stated: “The confusion presently is compounded by the intimida­tion of the opposition political parties using all paraphernalia of government apparatus like the courts and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to silence them or cajole them into submission.

“It is now very evident that since the untainted politician, Mr Peter Obi, lamented his frus­tration with the government and his eagerness to be in the ballot box, every arrow of intimidation has been directed to all political parties that he found himself and the latest being the more worrisome case instituted by an unregistered faceless associ­ation against the Nigerian Dem­ocratic Congress (NDC).

“The Presidency and the All Progressive Congress (APC) loathes opposition, but the driv­ing force of the opposition is the organic or cult followers of the candidate of the NDC, Mr Peter Obi, and the party at the centre, in their efforts to stop him by all means from contesting the forth­coming election in 2027 is the major cause of the confusions that the nation is witnessing presently.

“Nigeria has gone past being led by a dogmatic tyrant with opaque credentials masquerad­ing as a democrat.

“Election all over the world are contests and not coronation. That is the reason why people yearn for a change in every elec­toral cycle.”

INTERNAL PARTY CRISES

Bishop Herbert Ekechukwu, an economist and public affairs commentator, lamented that the build-up to 2027 general elections are already messy and manifest confusion.

Dr Ekechukwu, an economist and Church leader, stated: “The confusions stems from internal party crises over who becomes party flag bearers and also ten­sion between parties and INEC over nomination rules.

“Major opposition parties ended up with two or more per­sons claiming to be their presi­dential candidates,

“In most opposition parties, there are factional candidates and multiple primaries.

“The 2027 party primaries project a picture of charade. The imposition of unpopular candi­dates remains a dominant threat to democratic stability.

“The collapse of the oppo­sition alliance and subsequent defections will not augur well for the opposition parties.

“INEC has said that it has re­leased access codes on June 26 for parties to upload candidates till July 11. But, the political parties said that they are yet to receive them.

“There are also other chal­lenges bedeviling INEC. INEC chairman, Joash Amupitan’s body language smells biased and a lot of landmines laid for the opposition parties. The opposi­tion parties have weak internal democracy.

“The judiciary is not help­ing matters at all with confus­ing conflicting judgments; one doubts whether the election will take place at all.

“The confusion ahead of 2027 is a paradox of parties fighting themselves over tickets and fighting INEC over rules of en­gagement.

“Until the courts settle the timeline issue and other man­ifesting legal challenges and parties resolve fractional lead­ership, fielding certified undis­puted candidates will remain a mirage and the biggest flash­point.”