By Achile Danjuma
A leading Abuja-based lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has issued a strong warning to political parties, urging them to stop using the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a punchbag in their internal power struggles. He cautions that the barrage of litigation is hampering the electoral body’s ability to prepare for elections.
Olajengbesi, a Senior Partner at Law Corridor, expressed concern in a statement on Monday over the rising tide of court cases arising from party primaries and leadership tussles. He emphasized that while INEC is legally required to be named in election-related cases, it is being dragged into matters that are essentially family disputes.
“INEC should be allowed to focus on its core mandate: to conduct credible polls,” Olajengbesi said. “Political parties should apply caution and discretion in the type of cases that they join the electoral umpire in.”
Backing his argument with data, the lawyer referenced a 2025 report from the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC). The report paints a grim picture of election litigation following the 2023 polls, revealing that nearly 90% of petitions filed at the tribunals were doomed from the start. The vast majority failed simply because parties could not prove their cases, highlighting a trend of filing suits on shaky grounds rather than solid evidence.
This flood of unsuccessful cases, Olajengbesi argues, is a massive drain on judicial resources and a dangerous distraction. It forces INEC to divert its focus from critical tasks like voter education and logistics to defending itself in court.
His solution is twofold. First, he calls on Nigeria’s 21 political parties to get their houses in order and resolve disputes internally. Second, he points to a powerful new tool: Section 83(5) of the Electoral Act 2026, which explicitly restricts court intervention in the internal affairs of political parties. He urges parties to heed this legal boundary and allow INEC the space to deliver on its electoral mandate.