A former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Elder Power Aginighan, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to direct the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties to conduct internal democracy audits. He stressed that such audits are essential to ensure compliance with democratic principles and to curb the undue influence of political heavyweights.
Call for Electoral Act Review
Aginighan, a stalwart of the PDP, also urged a review of the Electoral Act 2010 to compel parties to adhere to internal democracy. He stated, “After perusing the Electoral Act, 2010, I am constrained to call on the National Assembly to amend the Act to ensure that all political parties practise full blown internal democracy in Nigeria.”
He highlighted that Section 85 of the Act requires registered political parties to give INEC at least a 21-day notice before any convention, congress, or meeting convened to elect executive committee members or nominate candidates for elective offices.
Widespread Non-Compliance
According to Aginighan, “I can boldly say that there is no party that has fully complied with this provision in the conduct of its congresses and primaries. At best, the provision has only been observed mainly in the breach. The impunity with which political parties violate this very important provision of the law is traceable to the lack of sanctions for non-compliance in the Act.”
He argued that this lack of enforcement has led to the emergence of “hand-picked executives from the Ward to Local Government to State and National levels.” Aginighan added, “Most of the parties are run as private companies of some influential members who subvert the will of the generality of the members of their parties and impose their preferred executives, delegates and candidates on the party. This has in turn led to the emergence of factions in many of the parties.”
Impact on Democracy
The former NDDC boss noted that the absence of sanctions for non-compliance has encouraged parties to disregard the law, undermining democratic processes. He emphasized that internal democracy audits would help restore integrity in party primaries and reduce factional disputes.
Aginighan’s call comes amid broader discussions on Nigeria’s democratic evolution, with officials acknowledging that the system is still maturing. The recommendation, if adopted, could prompt legislative amendments to strengthen compliance mechanisms in the Electoral Act.
