The Inter-Party Advisory Council has described the recently concluded party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections as flawed, citing legal and operational challenges in the nomination process.

IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, made the remarks on Tuesday during the Independent National Electoral Commission’s second quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja.

Dantalle blamed the challenges on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly Section 84(2), which removed indirect primaries as an option for selecting candidates.

According to him, the law limited political parties to either direct primaries or consensus arrangements, a development he said created practical difficulties and internal disputes.

“The exercise was a charade,” Dantalle said, noting that several parties adopted consensus candidacies despite having multiple aspirants who had purchased nomination forms.

He argued that genuine consensus could only be achieved when all aspirants willingly agreed to the arrangement, adding that some aggrieved contestants had already challenged the outcomes in court.

The IPAC chairman said the nomination process, which ended on May 30, exposed significant legal, administrative and operational shortcomings that require urgent national attention.

He warned that the growing number of disputes arising from the primaries could create unnecessary political tension and uncertainty ahead of the 2027 elections.

Dantalle called for a review of the electoral framework to ensure a more transparent, inclusive and democratic candidate selection process in future elections.