Directs Primaries vs. The Godfathers: Will the 2026 Electoral Act Save Internal Democracy?

By Ibrahim Nasiru

“The day the head leaves the body is when the snake becomes a mere rope.”

This Yoruba proverb serves as a stark reminder that leadership is the vital force of any organisation; without a capable and accountable head, even the most powerful structures lose their direction and strength.

For decades, the delegate system in Nigeria served as a high stakes auction where the highest bidder or the most powerful godfather hand-picked candidates in smoke filled rooms, leaving ordinary party members as mere spectators.

However, with the signing of the Electoral Act 2026 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on February 18, 2026, Nigeria has reached a definitive watershed moment for internal democracy.

The boldest stroke of this new law is the outright abolition of indirect primaries, a move that effectively dismantles the “delegate business” that has long corrupted the Nigerian political landscape.

By legally recognizing only Direct Primaries and Consensus under strictly regulated conditions, the Act seeks to return the power of nomination to the grassroots, ensuring that every card carrying member now holds a tangible piece of their party’s soul.

This represents a direct, legislative challenge to the “godfather” structures that have historically treated party tickets as personal property to be distributed to loyalists.

Yet, the question remains whether a legal framework can truly dismantle a deeply entrenched culture of patronage.

The mandatory shift to Direct Primaries presents a logistical mountain, requiring parties to maintain verifiable digital membership registers integrated with National Identification Numbers (NIN) and photographs to prevent the “ghost voter” syndrome.

For major political parties, the challenge is now administrative and immediate; they must prove they can conduct credible, state wide elections for millions of members before the July 2026 primary window closes.

There is also the lingering danger of the “Consensus” loophole. While the 2026 Act provides a safeguard by requiring the written, notarized consent of every cleared aspirant before a consensus candidate can be declared, there are valid fears that “consensus” will become a polite euphemism for high level coercion.

If party elites use their leverage to force aspirants into withdrawal, the spirit of the Act will be defeated before a single ballot is cast.

The ultimate success of this reform now rests on a crucial partnership between the regulator and the regulated.

For INEC, the task is no longer just to observe, but to strictly enforce the digital sanctity of party registers and invalidate any nomination that circumvents the new “written consent” rule for consensus.

INEC must act as the uncompromising gatekeeper, ensuring that the technical requirements of the 2026 Act are not by-passed by political shortcuts.

Simultaneously, the rank and file members must move from the sidelines and actively defend their right to vote.

The law has provided the arena, but it is the voters who must occupy it.

If the people remain passive, the godfathers will surely find a way to occupy that space for them; but if voters demand transparency and INEC holds the line, the 2027 elections could finally mark the end of the “auction-block” era in Nigerian politics.

With the July 2026 deadline for primaries fast approaching, the window for Nigerians to reclaim their parties is now open, and the cost of indifference has never been higher.

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru 

A Public Affairs Analyst writes from Abuja