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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary Haruna Mohammed has challenged political parties across Nigeria to take responsibility for election management failures, placing the blame for recurring electoral crises squarely on internal party leadership rather than external bodies.
Speaking at the National Chairmen’s Dialogue organised by News Central TV on Thursday, Mohammed stated that the electoral process begins long before voters arrive at polling stations.
Haruna Mohammed, PDP National Publicity Secretary, says political parties are largely responsible for how INEC and security agencies treat them, noting that even political parties don’t follow their own rules and regulations.#NigeriaDecides2027 #NCTownHallSeries… pic.twitter.com/bp8cWXaBmX
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) September 10, 2026
He criticised political parties for regularly violating their own internal guidelines during candidate selection, arguing that systemic flaws stem directly from party ranks.
“Election is not a one-day event where people just rush to the polling unit, cast their votes and go. Election starts right from our own internal processes,” Mohammed stated.
He questioned his peers’ adherence to established rules, asking, “In all honesty, how many political parties here do really play the game by the rules? Why are we having so much internal crisis within our own political parties despite having clear rules and provisions?”
Highlighting widespread malpractices during primary elections, the PDP spokesman condemned party executives who manipulate candidate submissions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Most of our leaders shortchange candidates after primaries,” Mohammed explained, describing how party leaders routinely swap out legitimate primary winners without their consent.
He noted that lawmakers specifically updated the Electoral Act to mandate written withdrawals from aspirants to curb the “flagrant abuse” of candidate substitution.
Concluding his address, Mohammed urged party leaders to stop deflecting accountability onto external institutions like law enforcement or the electoral umpire.
“Is this the fault of INEC? Is this the fault of the security agencies?” Mohammed asked. “It is the fault of the leaders of the party.”
