|By Chinwendu Nwani
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) on Wednesday dismissed claims that internal disputes within political parties are the major cause of voter apathy in Nigeria, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prioritise restoring public confidence in the electoral process.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, made the position known in a statement issued in Abuja while reacting to concerns raised by the electoral commission about the impact of internal party wrangling on its operations.
Johnson acknowledged that legal battles stemming from intra-party disputes often drag INEC into court as a party in litigation, placing administrative pressure on the commission and draining its time and resources.
However, he insisted that the deeper challenge facing Nigeria’s democracy is the growing loss of public confidence in the electoral system.
“The most pressing challenge confronting Nigeria’s democracy is a deepening crisis of public confidence in the electoral system,” Johnson said.
While admitting that administrative hurdles are real, he urged the INEC Chairman to recognise what he described as a more dangerous reality — that the major driver of voter apathy is not internal party friction but the widespread belief that the electoral body compromises the will of the people.
According to him, a large percentage of the electorate believes the electoral process is manipulated and that their votes do not count, a perception he said fuels declining participation during elections.
Johnson stressed that until INEC demonstrates absolute transparency and proves itself to be an unbiased arbiter, political stability within parties alone will not persuade Nigerians to return to the polling units.
He maintained that although political parties must strengthen internal democracy and reduce avoidable litigation, the electoral commission must undertake significant reforms capable of restoring the credibility of the vote.
The NNPP spokesperson said the party’s position follows INEC’s announcement of the commencement of a review of the 2022 edition of its regulations and guidelines for political parties as part of efforts to enhance transparency and integrity in the electoral process.
