Abuja, Nigeria – The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has warned that the rising voter apathy in Nigeria stems not from internal party disputes, but from a growing public distrust in the electoral process.
Reacting to recent remarks by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on internal party wrangling, Ladipo Johnson, NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, emphasized that legal battles between political parties, while burdensome, are secondary to the crisis of confidence among voters.
“The most pressing challenge confronting Nigeria’s democracy is a deepening crisis of public confidence in the electoral system,” Johnson said.
He acknowledged that party disputes often involve INEC in court cases, placing administrative pressure on the commission. However, he argued that the widespread perception that the electoral body is complicit in subverting the will of the people is far more damaging.
“A large percentage of the voting public remains convinced that the system is rigged and that their ballots do not count. 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,” Johnson added.
The NNPP called on INEC to implement reforms capable of restoring voter confidence while urging political parties to strengthen internal democracy and reduce avoidable litigation.
The statement comes hours after INEC announced a review of its 2022 regulations and guidelines for political parties, aimed at enhancing transparency and integrity in the electoral process.
