Hon. Oluwole Oke, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, is advocating for stronger regulatory action by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address what he describes as an “increasing misuse of the party registration system” by political entities that lack genuine electoral intent or capacity.
In a position paper dated June 30, 2025, Oke urged INEC to exercise greater oversight and, where necessary, proscribe or deregister political parties that fail to meet or consistently maintain statutory requirements.
Oke’s paper, titled “Strengthening INEC’s Regulatory Role Over Political Parties to Safeguard Democratic Integrity,” emphasises the constitutional powers of INEC under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“This position paper draws attention to the increasing misuse of the party registration system by political entities that lack electoral participation, democratic intent, administrative capacity, national spread or institutional structure. It calls for INEC to exercise greater oversight, and where necessary, proscribe or deregister political parties that do not meet or continued to meet statutory requirements.”
These powers enable the deregistration of parties for various reasons, according to the lawmaker, including breaching registration requirements, failing to secure a specified percentage of votes in elections (such as 25% in a presidential election in one state or one local government in a governorship election), failing to win at least one ward in a chairmanship election or one seat in a legislative assembly, or simply failing to participate in elections.
The lawmaker lamented a noticeable rise in political parties that, he claims, do not present candidates, lack state or national structures, and resort to litigation solely to challenge election outcomes despite their non-participation.
He characterised this as an “industry of political desperadoes” who become active only during the immediate pre- and post-election periods, aiming to extract monetary settlements from election winners desperate to avoid technical legal pitfalls.
This practice, Oke argued, creates severe strain on the judicial system, which is already operating under strict timelines.
The proliferation of these non-performing parties, Oke contended, has far-reaching negative implications for Nigeria’s democracy. He pointed out the resulting legal chaos and judicial abuses from frivolous court cases, which burden the courts and judicial officers.
Furthermore, he stressed ballot confusion for voters, as overcrowded ballot papers with numerous unknown party logos lead to inadvertent wrong votes and make the electoral process unnecessarily complex.
A important development, he noted, is the waste of public resources, as INEC allocates funds and logistical support to parties that contribute no electoral value, draining taxpayer money. Finally, Oke warned that this “merchandise” introduced into election processes by moribund parties damages public trust in the credibility of elections.
To counter these challenges, Hon. Oke put forward several recommendations. He called for INEC to urgently conduct a mandatory compliance and viability audit of all registered parties, making this a routine annual exercise, with prompt deregistration for any party that fails to meet the necessary requirements.
He also advocated for the National Assembly to amend electoral laws to explicitly limit legal standing in election petitions only to parties that genuinely participated in the election in question, thereby reinforcing the judicial doctrine of locus standi to prevent abuses.
Additionally, Oke suggested enhanced monitoring of political parties by civil society organizations and electoral observers, beyond just election monitoring, and called for public education campaigns to inform citizens about credible party choices and the legal framework governing party operations.
Oke emphasised that while freedom of association is fundamental to democracy, it must be exercised within legal boundaries and for the public good.
He asserted that political parties should be vehicles of representation, not instruments of manipulation, and urged INEC to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities to ensure that only credible, active, and democratically inclined parties are allowed to exist, stressing that “Nigeria’s democracy is too important to be sabotaged by parties without purpose.”
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