For over two decades, Nigeria’s so-called legacy political parties, the PDP, APC, and their familiar rotating cast, have enjoyed something most political movements can only dream of: state establishment support, access to legal heavyweight, and a deep understanding of the federal government structure.
They have experienced officials. They have institutional memory. They have legal teams that have argued everything from election petitions to constitutional crises.
And yet, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) overstepped its legal bounds, rushing parties to complete their primaries almost six months before the constitutionally mandated deadline for submitting nominations—not one of these establishment giants raised a credible legal eyebrow.
Instead, they scrambled. They rushed. They fell over themselves obeying INEC’s illegal directive as if it were holy writ.
It took a party registered in 2018, barely five years old, with fewer resources and none of the establishment’s deep pockets, to do what the giants should have done first: challenge INEC in court.
And win.
That party is the Youth Party. And their victory is a blistering indictment of everyone else.
The Constitutional Reality INEC Ignored
The Nigerian Constitution and Electoral Act are not vague on timelines. Political parties are constitutionally entitled to a reasonable window to conduct primaries and submit nominations. INEC’s directive to compress primaries into an artificially early window, nearly half a year before the final submission deadline, was not just aggressive; it was, as the courts affirmed, beyond INEC’s statutory powers.
But the legacy parties didn’t ask questions. They didn’t seek judicial clarity. They simply complied.
Why? Because compliance is comfortable. Because challenging INEC might risk “federal might” turning against them. Because for parties that have become extensions of state machinery, the instinct to obey authority has long replaced the duty to defend democratic process.
A Disgrace, Plain and Simple
Let’s call this what it is: a disgrace.
These are parties with access to Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), former judges, and constitutional drafters. They have research units. They have party secretariats that have existed since 1999. And not one of them had the institutional courage to say, “No, this timeline is illegal.”
The Youth Party, with a fraction of their budget and none of their establishment connections, walked into court and did exactly what legacy parties should have done.
Think about that. A party founded the same year as the #EndSARS movement has shown more respect for the rule of law than parties founded in the last century.
Hanging Their Heads in Shame
If legacy parties had any genuine shame left, they would hang their heads.
They failed their members, who were forced into rushed, undemocratic primaries. They failed the Nigerian electorate, who deserve a nomination process that follows the law. And they failed the democratic project itself, by prioritizing obedience to INEC over fidelity to the Constitution.
The Youth Party didn’t just win a legal case. They exposed a rot. They showed that the real political establishment isn’t the one with the oldest flag or the most governors. It’s the one that remembers that the law, not a directive, is supreme.
What Comes Next
Will the legacy parties learn? History suggests not. They will continue to rely on federal structures, establishment comfort, and the quiet hope that Nigerians have short memories.
But this time, the evidence is in the public record. A court has said INEC acted beyond its powers. And while the giants obeyed, a younger party stood up.
That’s not just embarrassing. That’s a legacy no party should want.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 