The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) on Wednesday stated that internal disputes within political parties are not the primary cause of voter apathy in the country, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to focus on rebuilding public confidence in the electoral process.
The NNPP party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja while reacting to recent concerns raised by the electoral body about how internal conflicts within political parties affect its operations.
Johnson acknowledged that court cases resulting from party disputes often involve INEC as a party in the litigation, which places administrative pressure on the commission and consumes significant time and resources.
But Johnson argued that, “The most pressing challenge confronting Nigeria’s democracy is a deepening crisis of public confidence in the electoral system.”
Agreeing that administrative hurdles are real, he urged the INEC Chairman to recognize a far more dangerous reality, opining that the greatest cause of voter apathy in Nigeria is not internal party friction but the widespread perception that INEC is complicit in subverting the will of the people.
He added that a large percentage of the voting public remains convinced that the system is rigged and that their ballots do not count, stressing that the crisis of confidence is the primary driver of voter apathy.
Johnson believed that until INEC demonstrates absolute transparency and proves it is an unbiased arbiter, no amount of internal party stability will bring Nigerians back to the polling units.
While political parties must strengthen internal democracy and reduce avoidable litigation, NNPP opined that INEC must “take a hard look in the mirror” and implement reforms capable of restoring the sanctity of the vote.
He explained that the NNPP party’s position comes hours after INEC announced the commencement of a review of the 2022 edition of its regulations and guidelines for political parties as part of efforts to enhance integrity and transparency in the electoral process.
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