1 week ago
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By Tolulope Oke
The Independent National Electoral Commiss (INEC) Commission has warned that political parties which failed to comply with the membership-register requirement could be barred from fielding candidates in the 2027 general elections, with no opportunity to replace those affected.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, said parties would not be allowed to substitute candidates to escape the consequences of breaching the law.
Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme on Wednesday, Haruna warned that the consequences could extend to governorship and state Houses of Assembly contests. He said the commission was reviewing the Supreme Court judgment before announcing its definitive position.
“No party will be able to change candidates. They won’t contest the election. Remember Zamfara and Plateau. The law is clear,” Haruna said.
He explained that parties must submit their membership registers to INEC at least three weeks before their primaries, while those seeking tickets must have their names on the relevant register.
“Some parties won’t even field governorship candidates down to Houses of Assembly if the candidates’ names were not in the party’s register three weeks before the primaries,” he said.
The warning follows the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment restoring provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing party membership registers and candidate nomination.
The apex court overturned an earlier Court of Appeal decision which had voided Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Act.
The restored provisions restrict participation in primaries to members listed in the register submitted to INEC, require parties to use that register and prevent a party which failed to submit it within the stipulated period from fielding a candidate.
Haruna said INEC would consult its legal experts on the certified judgment and expected to make a clear pronouncement by Tuesday next week.
His remarks did not identify any particular party or candidate as having been excluded.
Meanwhile, several parties have defended their nomination processes following the ruling.
English (US) ·