A new assessment of Nigeria’s 2026 political party primaries has identified gaps in transparency, high nomination fees, opaque screening processes and limited access to party rules, raising concerns about the inclusiveness and credibility of the candidate-selection process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The report, titled “Before the Ballot,” was released on Tuesday at a roundtable dialogue on electoral credibility organised under the European Union-funded EU-SDGN II programme in Abuja.
The event, held at Abuja Continental Hotel, examined how political parties selected their candidates following the 2026 electoral reforms and reviewed the candidate lists published by the Independent National Electoral Commission on September 12.
Presenting the findings, Ralph-Michael Peters and Florence Ganoux said although the reforms introduced direct primaries, giving party members a formal role in candidate selection, key aspects of the nomination process remained largely controlled by party leaderships.
They said decisions relating to nomination forms, screening, consensus arrangements, internal appeals and the submission of candidates to INEC continued to rest largely with party leaderships in the cases assessed.
According to the report, party rules, membership registers, result forms and INEC monitoring findings were generally not available to aspirants, party members and observers, limiting their ability to verify compliance or pursue challenges within the 14-day period provided by law.
The assessors said their observations in the Federal Capital Territory, Ibadan and Lagos showed that INEC officials were present at primary venues and monitored various stages of the exercises.
However, they noted that the commission’s findings remained largely internal and were not publicly released, making it difficult to determine whether identified breaches resulted in corrective action.
The report also identified uncertainty over sanctions for breaches of nomination rules, particularly where parties failed to comply with requirements relating to the notification and publication of primary venues.
The assessors said the legal framework specified certain compliance requirements but did not always clearly state the consequences of non-compliance.
They further observed that competition for party tickets was intense in some constituencies, with negotiations behind closed doors sometimes playing a significant role in determining nominees.
The process, they said, remained opaque to some party members and aspirants who lost out in the nomination process.
The report raised concerns about the cost of obtaining nomination forms, noting that presidential nomination forms cost as much as N100m, while the All Progressives Congress fixed its Senate nomination form at N20m and House of Representatives form at N10m.
It noted that such costs could increase aspirants’ reliance on sponsors and create barriers for people with fewer financial resources.
The assessors also identified particular implications for women, young people and persons with disabilities seeking to participate in the political process.
On women’s representation, the report stated that women accounted for 346 of the 3,560 House of Representatives candidates, representing 9.7 per cent, compared with 9.2 per cent in 2023.
It added that 160 constituencies had no female candidate.
The report consequently recommended enforceable measures to improve the representation of women, young people and persons with disabilities in future nomination processes.
The assessors said political parties were required to submit their constitutions and regulations governing the primaries to INEC and make them publicly available.
However, they said the documents were not readily accessible to party members and aspirants during their assessment.
They explained that the nomination process involved several stages, including obtaining forms, screening and clearance, consensus arrangements, withdrawals and direct primaries.
According to them, access to nomination forms was not always straightforward, while the screening process was also characterised by limited transparency.
They said reasons why some aspirants were cleared while others were disqualified were not always communicated to those affected.
The assessors also highlighted challenges surrounding consensus arrangements, particularly where an aspirant withdrew consent at a late stage.
The report also identified pending litigation as an issue capable of affecting the final candidate lists.
It referenced the July 16 Court of Appeal judgment in Zenith Labour Party v INEC, which affected membership-based eligibility provisions introduced under the Electoral Act 2026.
The report noted that the Supreme Court heard INEC’s appeal on September 16 and had reserved judgment.
It said pending court cases could still require amendments to candidate lists.
According to the report, the candidate lists published by INEC contained 18 presidential tickets, 1,303 senatorial candidates and 3,560 House of Representatives candidates, with every National Assembly seat having more than one candidate.
The assessors identified low public trust in electoral institutions as one of the warning signs ahead of the 2027 elections.
They said the manner in which the 2026 primaries were administered and monitored did not appear to have provided sufficient trust-building measures to overcome existing concerns.
They called for more open consultation between INEC and political parties and greater engagement among stakeholders before disagreements escalate into litigation.
They also urged stakeholders to take the electoral Peace Accord seriously and translate its commitments into practical measures at state, ward and other grassroots levels rather than treating it as a ceremonial exercise.
During the question-and-answer session, the assessors explained that their assessment was selective and did not cover every registered political party.
They said the direct observations were limited by the size of the assessment team and focused more on parties with nationwide representation, presence across constituencies and representation in the National Assembly.
The report divided its recommendations into measures that can be implemented before the 2027 elections and longer-term reforms for the 2027–2031 electoral cycle.
For the period before polling, it called on political parties to provide affected aspirants with reasons and records relating to disputed selections and candidate replacements.
It also urged INEC to publish relevant findings from its monitoring of the primaries and explain subsequent changes to candidate lists.
The report called on the judiciary to deliver reasoned judgments early enough for INEC to implement decisions affecting candidates and parties before polling.
It further recommended that political parties translate their Peace Accord commitments into guidance for their officials and supporters, while security agencies should provide impartial protection and communicate their responses to reported incidents.
For the longer term, the report recommended a review of nomination fees, the establishment of independent internal appeal panels and publication of party rules and primary results.
It also called for enforceable inclusion measures for women, young people and persons with disabilities, as well as a joint review by the National Assembly, INEC and the judiciary of nomination and litigation timelines.
Opening the roundtable, former INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, described the nomination of candidates as one of the most important functions of political parties and a critical part of political recruitment.
Ibeanu said the constitutional role of INEC in regulating political parties, particularly candidate-selection processes, had historically been a major source of disagreements between the commission and political parties.
He called for a relationship based on mutual respect and cooperation between INEC and political parties, stressing that regular engagement could help resolve disputes before they develop into prolonged litigation.
In his closing remarks, Ibeanu said the assessment had identified seven key findings, with the first indicating that the signals from the primaries pointed to a highly contested 2027 election.
He also stressed the need for stakeholders to address weaknesses in the nomination process and strengthen cooperation ahead of the general elections.