This article by Festus Okoye thoroughly examines the various issues concerning party primaries, from aspirants to nomination of candidates, primaries, register of members, party defection, internal party affairs and litigation, making comparisons with the older Electoral Laws
Introduction
Most political parties are preparing for their primaries to nominate candidates for the Presidency, the Governorship, and the National and State Assemblies, if they choose to do so. Some will nominate presidential candidates. Some will endorse the presidential candidate of other parties. Some will nominate gubernatorial candidates and candidates for the National and State Assemblies. Some may not have the capacity to field candidates, and may trade off their seats to those excluded from other parties or to disgruntled, ambitious candidates from those parties.
However, with the tight and contentious provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the self-inflicted and planted crisis in most political parties, party primaries and nomination processes may throw up more disputes than imagined. The party primary and nomination processes may also breed a new army of the angry, who may be short-changed by the contentious primaries and nomination processes of the parties and by their unwillingness, and to some extent, inability, to challenge their exclusion.
