The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is facing criticism following a letter it issued to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regarding the latter’s upcoming 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. The letter, dated June 13, 2025, and signed by Harliru Aminu, the Acting Secretary to the Commission, has drawn fire for its tone and content, with some observers calling it “rude and unofficial.”

The contentious phrase in question is “be guided,” used in the letter to instruct the PDP on the compliance requirements for their NEC meeting. Critics argue that such language from a regulatory body to a political party is inappropriate and indicative of an overstepping of bounds.

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Beyond the perceived condescending tone, the letter has also been scrutinized for what are being described as “simple grammatical errors,” raising questions about the institutional standards of INEC.

A prominent voice in the debate, Jones Fcc Onwuasoanya, expressed strong disapproval on social media, highlighting what he perceives as a double standard. “If INEC can have an Acting Secretary, I don’t see what stops the PDP from having anyone it chooses as its Secretary,” Onwuasoanya stated. He further emphasized the recent Supreme Court judgment, which he noted “reiterates the non-intrusion of outsiders in the determination of who should serve as a Party’s official at any level.”

Onwuasoanya asserted that it is the “business of a political party to choose its officials and leaders,” and that a meeting with 85% attendance of elected and statutory leaders “cannot or should not be nullified with a stroke of the pen, merely because one person.”

The INEC letter specifically references “the requirement of part 2(12)3 of the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022 that provides ‘the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party shall jointly sign the notice of convention, congress, conference or meeting and submit same to the Commission.'” The Commission’s stance is that the PDP’s notice is “not in compliance” with this requirement.

The controversy also took a political turn, with Onwuasoanya urging the PDP to “get its acts together or gold up and join us in the APC, officially, instead of these bad comedies they are putting up all the time.” He concluded with a reminder that “Politics is a contest and you should not fold your arms and expect your rival to fold their arms, too.”

This development underscores the ongoing tension between political parties and regulatory bodies in Nigeria, particularly concerning internal party affairs and the extent of INEC’s oversight. The PDP has yet to issue an official response to INEC’s letter and the ensuing public debate.