Abuja: The Political Parties Performance Index (PPPI) report has revealed lack of inclusivity, legal compliance, and public outreach in Nigeria’s 19 registered political parties. This was disclosed at the launch of the PPPI report and the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) constitution in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the PPPI is an evidence-based framework developed by Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) to assess political parties’ performance in the areas of inclusivity, legal compliance, and public outreach. Adebowale Olorunmola, Country Director of WFD, Nigeria, stated that the data revealed gaps between how well parties think they are doing, how their members perceive their performance, and how the public experiences them.
Olorunmola noted that parties reported an average score of 82.4 percent on inclusivity, while party members rated this at just 67.6 percent, exposing a 15 percent implementation gap. In terms of legal compliance, parties self-reported 86.4 percent, whereas members gave an average of 72.4 percent. Citizens rated political parties at just 45.9 percent for public outreach, which is the lowest score across all assessment layers.
He emphasized that the launch of the PPPI report and adoption of the revised IPAC constitution will strengthen democracy and commitment by political parties to embrace accountability, inclusion, and institutional reform. He remarked that strong, transparent, and citizen-responsive political parties are the cornerstone of a healthy democracy and that these tools are instruments of transformation that can help political parties better serve the Nigerian people.
Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman of IPAC, highlighted that the constitution now serves as a new ethical standard that all registered political parties must uphold as a platform that produces elected office holders across the country. He stressed the importance of championing good governance, accountability, and service delivery, urging leaders to keep the welfare of the people above personal interest in line with the 1999 constitution.
Prof. Kunle Ajayi, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner, pointed out that the problem lies with parties not complying with their own constitution. He explained that the framework is to ensure that parties enforce their internal constitution to avoid crises and losing credibility in the public eye. He urged parties to reach out to the public and remain active beyond election times to maintain visibility.
Mr. Kingsley Chinda, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, identified lack of political discipline, ideology, and vision as challenges affecting political parties. He described the PPPI report as a developmental framework designed to encourage parties toward transparency, accountability, and better engagement. Chinda called for a national conversation on political party reform, focusing on current deficiencies and future possibilities.