You are the reason we have voter apathy, not political parties – NNPP tells INEC

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On Wednesday, the New Nigeria People’s Party observed that internal party conflicts are not the primary cause of voter apathy in the country. It called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to focus on rebuilding public confidence in the electoral process.

In a statement released in Abuja, Ladipo Johnson, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, responded to recent concerns voiced by the electoral umpire regarding the effects of internal disputes within political parties on its operations.

Johnson concurred that legal conflicts stemming from party disagreements frequently involve INEC as a litigant, which results in added administrative burdens on the commission and depletes its 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.”

While acknowledging the existence of administrative obstacles, he called on the INEC Chairman to acknowledge a much more perilous reality. He argued that the primary reason for voter apathy in Nigeria is not internal party conflicts but rather the prevalent belief that INEC is involved in undermining the people’s will.

He noted that a significant portion of the electorate believes the system is manipulated and their votes are meaningless, emphasizing that this lack of trust is the main cause of voter indifference.

Johnson was of the opinion that until INEC shows complete transparency and demonstrates it does not favor one side over another, no level of internal party stability will draw Nigerians back to the polling units.

While political parties should bolster internal democracy and minimize unnecessary legal disputes, the NNPP stated that INEC needs to “take a hard look in the mirror” and enact reforms that can restore the integrity of the vote.

He clarified that the party’s stance was issued just hours after INEC declared it would begin reviewing the 2022 version of its regulations and guidelines for political parties to help bolster integrity and transparency in the electoral process.

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