RismadarVoice Reporters
October 6, 2026
The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to strictly enforce provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Chairman of the committee, Bayo Balogun, made the demand following the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment restoring Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The apex court overturned an earlier Court of Appeal decision that had invalidated the provisions and held that they were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.
The provisions require political parties to use membership registers submitted to INEC for their primaries, congresses and conventions. They also restrict participation in those processes to members whose names appear on the submitted registers.
Balogun consequently asked INEC to scrutinise candidates presented by political parties and ensure compliance with the statutory requirements.
The lawmaker said the commission should compare candidate nominations with the membership registers submitted by the respective political parties and enforce the consequences prescribed by the Electoral Act where violations are established.
He maintained that the Supreme Court judgment had removed the legal uncertainty that previously surrounded the provisions.
The Supreme Court ruling, however, distinguishes between the eligibility of an individual candidate and the statutory consequences imposed on a political party for failing to comply with the membership-register requirements.
Under Section 77(7), a political party that fails to submit its membership register within the prescribed period is barred from fielding candidates for the affected election.
The judgment restored the Federal High Court decision that had earlier upheld the disputed provisions and set aside the Court of Appeal judgment of July 16, 2026.
Balogun said strict enforcement of the law would strengthen compliance by political parties and reduce disputes arising from party primaries and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 elections.
