The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to audit the candidates submitted by political parties for the 2027 general elections and disqualify those whose names are not contained in the membership registers submitted to the commission.
The committee made the demand in a letter dated September 30, 2026, signed by its Chairman, Bayo Balogun, following the Supreme Court’s recent judgment upholding the validity of key provisions of Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Section 77(5) of the Electoral Act provides that only members whose names appear in a political party’s membership register submitted to INEC are eligible to vote or be voted for at the party’s primaries, congresses and conventions. Section 77(6) further requires parties to use the register submitted to INEC for those exercises.
Balogun said the Supreme Court’s ruling had removed the legal uncertainty that previously surrounded the enforcement of the provisions. He therefore called on INEC to proceed with their implementation across all registered political parties.
The committee specifically asked the electoral commission to compare the names of candidates submitted by political parties with the membership registers earlier filed with INEC and determine whether the candidates complied with Section 77(5).
It said any political party or candidate found to have violated the provisions should be disqualified, arguing that early enforcement would help prevent disputes and reduce the volume of election-related litigation after the primaries.
The Supreme Court had in September restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act after setting aside an earlier Court of Appeal judgment that had declared the provisions unconstitutional. The apex court held that the provisions were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.
INEC had earlier confirmed that all 22 registered political parties submitted their membership registers by May 8, 2026, ahead of the extended deadline. The commission said the registers would undergo verification in line with the Electoral Act.
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