INEC: Parties violating membership register rules barred from 2027 elections
Nigeria's electoral commission will bar political parties from fielding 2027 candidates if they fail to comply with mandatory membership register requirements, following a Supreme Court ruling affirming the rule's constitutionality.
Newsnibs Staff
- 2026-10-09
- Updated 8:55 AM UTC
The Independent National Electoral Commission said Wednesday that political parties which fail to comply with the membership register rule will be barred from fielding candidates in the 2027 general elections. Mohammed Haruna, INEC's National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, disclosed the decision on Trust TV's Daily Politics programme.
The announcement follows a Supreme Court ruling on September 24 that affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026. Section 77(5) limits participation in party primaries to members listed on the register submitted to INEC within the prescribed period. Section 77(6) requires that register to be used for primaries, and Section 77(7) disqualifies parties that fail to submit one. The Supreme Court judgment came after the Zenith Labour Party challenged the provisions; a Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had initially nullified the sections before the Supreme Court reversed those rulings.
Haruna cited past cases in Zamfara and Plateau to explain why parties will not be allowed to substitute candidates affected by the rule, saying that would let them "benefit from their own violation of the law." The rule applies to all elective posts, down to the state Houses of Assembly.
The Supreme Court ruling also reinstated INEC's revised timetable for the 2027 elections, which a Court of Appeal had nullified before the apex court restored it on appeal.
INEC's review could leave some parties without candidates for various positions, including governorship. Media speculation has named Kingsley Chinda, the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, and Ovie Omo-Agege, the NDC senatorial candidate for Delta Central, as possible affected candidates.
Separately, INEC in Plateau State said the preliminary voter register will be displayed across all 207 Registration Areas in the state from Friday through October 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Sam Egwu, said the exercise, mandated by Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, allows voters to verify their details, raise claims and objections, and collect Permanent Voter Cards issued from the Continuous Voter Registration phase conducted between August 18 and December 10, 2025. Egwu urged residents to check their names, photographs, dates of birth and polling units for discrepancies during the display period.
Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash
