The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Oluwole Oke, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take action against political parties that are inactive, lack broad national presence, or use the election process for selfish gain.
Oke, who represents the Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in Osun State, made this known through a document he released in Abuja on Monday. In the paper titled “Strengthening INEC’s Regulatory Role Over Political Parties to Safeguard Democratic Integrity”, the lawmaker raised concerns about how certain political parties operate more like business ventures than platforms for leadership or public service.
He noted that some of these parties do not participate meaningfully in campaigns or field serious candidates during elections. Yet, once elections are over, they are quick to file petitions at tribunals.
According to him, these actions are not necessarily driven by genuine legal grievances, but often by hopes of negotiating financial settlements from winning candidates who fear losing their positions due to technical legal hurdles.
“There are myriad examples where political parties that were dormant or passive during electioneering will be the first to file election petitions at the tribunals, hoping and banking that winners will come to request out-of-court settlements. They then make huge monetary demands from such winners, who are desperate to avoid technical legal issues that may scuttle their victory,” Oke said.
He described this development as a growing trend that turns the electoral process into a playground for desperate actors whose aim is to profit rather than contribute to democracy. According to him, this conduct not only puts pressure on the judiciary but also causes voter confusion and wastes public resources.
Oke also noted that these inactive political parties make ballot papers overcrowded, further complicating the voting process for citizens and reducing trust in elections. He believes that such distractions can be reduced if INEC strictly enforces constitutional requirements.
Quoting Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the lawmaker urged INEC to deregister parties that fail to meet the basic criteria—such as not winning any seat or not fielding candidates. He proposed that INEC should carry out regular assessments of all registered parties to confirm their activity and relevance. Those who fall short, he said, should be removed from the list of official parties.
“INEC should urgently conduct a compliance and viability audit of all registered parties. This exercise should become routine and annual. Any political party that fails to pass the requirements should be deregistered. Political parties that meet constitutional conditions for deregistration must be promptly removed from the register of political parties as part of routine mandatory compliance,” Oke said.
Furthermore, he called for changes to the Electoral Act that would allow only those parties that actually participated in an election to challenge its outcome in court. This, he argued, would help reduce unnecessary court cases and focus legal challenges on real participants.
“The National Assembly should reinforce the doctrine of locus standi in our electoral jurisprudence,” he added.
