The Independent National Electoral Commission has raised the alarm over what it called ‘unnecessary litigation’ with billions of naira already expended, as well as internal leadership crises rocking political parties, saying the situation is threatening its commitment to democratic consolidation in the country.

The chairman of the Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, raised the concern at the Technical Workshop on Revision of INEC Regulations and Guidelines for political parties, organised by the commission in partnership with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, held in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, on Wednesday.

Amupitan lamented that rather than being used as vehicles for national transformations, political parties are currently witnessing a disturbing trend of leadership squabbles and infighting that threaten to turn them into theatres of permanent strife.

He noted that a day spent in defending these intra-party disputes in court is a day diverted from the primary mandate of election planning.

He said, ”Our collective commitment is being challenged by leadership squabbles and judicialised politics. In the last cycle alone, INEC was joined in scores of suits that could have been avoided by simple adherence to party constitutions. As an Independent body, we remain neutral, but we are no longer passive observers.

”Political parties in Nigeria face the crisis of internal democracy. Of grave concern is the quality of party primaries. As we move towards the primary window of April 23 to May 30, 2026, we must enforce a level playing field. The quality of internal party democracy has a direct bearing on the secondary election conducted by INEC.

”We are currently witnessing a disturbing trend of leadership squabbles and infighting that threaten to turn political parties into theatres of permanent strife rather than vehicles for national development.

”These frequent leadership tussles do more than just dilute party ideologies; they spill over into our courtrooms, resulting in a deluge of unnecessary litigations where INEC is routinely joined as a party.

”Each day spent defending these intra-party disputes is a day diverted from our primary mandate of election planning.”

He expressed confidence that the workshop will systematically analyse the key provisions of the new Electoral Act and identify the necessary amendments to the existing regulations and guidelines for political parties.

Delivering his goodwill message, the Country Director, Westminster Foundation for Democracy Mr. Adebowale Olorunmola, explained the need for the guidelines and regulations to also be improved in order to give bite to the electoral act, hence there are some changes in the passage and assent of the new Electoral Act

He said, ”The 2022 edition of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines served us well in the conduct of the 2023 general elections and other subsequent elections. However, “current realities” are no longer what they were four years ago. Today, we are tasked with bridging the gap between the letter of the 2026 Act and the practical, day-to-day operations of our political parties”

Earlier in the welcome remarks, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Obo Efanga, described the workshop as strategic and significant, noting that the review and updating of the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022, could not have come at a better time than now.

While noting that the workshop is designed to consider the implications of Electoral Act 2026 on its Regulations and Guidelines for various electoral activities, Efanga, said however that it is not a coincidence that the first Regulations and Guidelines to be reviewed is the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022 because, according to him, the document regulates the registration, statutory compliance, administration, conduct as well as the monitoring of political parties and all their activities.

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Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, was spotted wearing a fez cap displaying the logo of the ruling All Progressives Congress at a social function on Tuesday.

Igboho had attended the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasheed Ladoja’s first Ramadan lecture after his coronation.

In the now-viral video, the Yoruba nation activist was seen greeting the monarch and the event’s guest lecturer, Chief Imam of Offa, Sheikh Muyideen Salmon, in the APC-branded cap.

However, the video has sparked conversations on social media, where many users referenced Nnamdi Kanu, drawing comparisons between the two separatist figures and their respective political directions.

A user who simply identified as #Jaythrilli said, “Sunday Igboho shamelessly gallivanting with an APC cap on. You can’t be fighting for Yoruba freedom and still dine with the people who impoverished the same Yoruba people. Reason I don’t rate him at all.”

Another user who claimed to be #Felixherbt wrote, “For those who still don’t understand what Mazi Nnamdi is fighting for, soon and very soon, you will all understand, but it will be too late.

“Today, Sunday Igboho is jumping around with the APC cartel. Remember that they promised Nnamdi Kanu a political position to win him over; he rejected it. My respect for MNK has doubled.

“From freeing the Yoruba from the claws of the Fulani, to kissing the ring. I present to you, Sunday Igboho!!! It will interest you to know that this is why Kanu is still in Sokoto,” one #Admiral_Cyborg opined.

One Samuel Olafusi on Facebook wrote, “Wait, is that an APC cap on his head? If you really join, you become a saint. Why has Nnamdi Kanu not been released? They got punished for the same reasons. Nigeria is truly divided, and we live in a transitional democracy.

Meanwhile, in his reaction, one #daddyfemzy queried, “You can’t really blame this guy. He was in an asylum, declared wanted by Buhari, dead or alive. The recent APC caucus brokered his return home courtesy of Ladoja. What do you expect? Let’s be practical. If you were him. Won’t you?”

Recall, Olayomi Koiki, spokesman for embattled Yoruba nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, says all arrangements have been concluded for his principal’s return to Nigeria after prominent monarchs persuaded President Bola Tinubu to remove Igboho’s name from the list of wanted persons.

According to Koiki, the traditional rulers who intervened include the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; and the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Oba Francis Alao, among others.

Igboho fled Nigeria on July 1, 2021, following a raid on his Ibadan residence by a combined team of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Army over allegations of stockpiling arms and ammunition. The raid came amid Igboho’s campaign to evict armed Fulani herdsmen from the South-West in response to attacks on farmers.

During the raid, three of his aides were killed, and 13 others were arrested. Igboho fled to the Benin Republic, intending to fly to Germany, but was arrested at Cotonou Airport on July 19, 2021, and detained for over a year before being released in March 2022.

Under the previous administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Igboho was declared wanted, denied a Nigerian passport, and had his bank accounts frozen despite favourable court rulings.

In 2025, during a visit to the Olugbon Palace in Orile Igbon, Surulere Local Government of Oyo State, Igboho expressed frustration at living in exile and appealed to President Tinubu’s administration to remove his name from the wanted list. He also made the appeal to the Olubadan, Oba Ladoja.

Koiki said in a Sunday statement that Igboho has now been cleared by the Presidency and “may return to the country at any moment and will be fully reintegrated after his clearance has been granted.”

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