Athena election observatory launches political landscape monitor to track electoral environment

The Athena Election Observatory (AEO), an initiative of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, has launched a new policy series, the Political Landscape Monitor, aimed at providing evidence-based analysis of Nigeria’s political and electoral environment. The launch coincides with the release of its inaugural Policy Note, Nigeria’s Democracy and the Imperative of Competitive Politics.

The report comes amid increasing turbulence across Nigeria’s political landscape, marked by leadership disputes, shifting alliances, and frequent recourse to courts and regulatory bodies to resolve intra-party conflicts. Drawing on developments within major parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party, the Observatory found that these seemingly isolated crises reflect a broader structural challenge: political coordination is advancing faster than the institutional frameworks needed to sustain it.

According to the Policy Note, this growing gap is affecting the quality of democratic choice available to citizens. Internal party instability, fragmented alliances, and contested leadership structures are weakening the credibility of political alternatives.

The report highlights the role of key institutions, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) significantly influences which factions gain control in political parties. It calls for greater consistency, procedural clarity, and impartiality in INEC’s decision-making. On the judiciary, the Observatory warned that while legal recourse is necessary, over-reliance on courts to settle intra-party disputes risks undermining party governance and institutional integrity.

“A democracy is only as strong as the credibility of the choices it offers its citizens,” the Observatory stated. “Where political competition is unstable or poorly structured, elections risk producing outcomes that lack both legitimacy and durability.”

The Political Landscape Monitor will provide regular updates and policy notes tracking key developments in Nigeria’s political and electoral environment in the lead-up to the 2027 electoral cycle.

The full Policy Note is available online at https://bit.ly/4dzcFGD⁠�.

For media enquiries, contact Paul Liam, Media Officer at the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, via [email protected].