The 2027 general elections may be heading for a fresh legal storm as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) begins reviewing the implications of a recent Supreme Court judgment on candidates’ eligibility to contest party primaries.

The development has triggered uncertainty over the fate of several high-profile politicians whose nominations could be affected by the interpretation of provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday at a World Press Conference in Abuja, saying the commission had received complaints from political parties, aggrieved aspirants and members of the National Assembly over the judgment.

The Supreme Court had affirmed the validity of Sections 77 and 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, following appeals involving the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The provisions have generated controversy over the eligibility of politicians who defected to new political parties after failing to secure the tickets of the parties under which they initially sought nomination.

Amupitan said INEC received the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgment on Tuesday and had commenced a detailed review.

He said the commission would determine the appropriate action after studying the judgment and considering the complaints before it.

Among the politicians whose candidacies have attracted attention are Rivers State APC governorship candidate Kingsley Chinda, Delta Central NDC senatorial candidate Ovie Omo-Agege, former Cross River State governor and PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke, and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei.

There are also concerns over the implications of the judgment for Prof. Isa Ali Pantami in Gombe State, following his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In Niger State, questions have similarly been raised over the candidacy of PDP governorship candidate Muhammad Nami.

The candidacy of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, in Nasarawa State has also come under scrutiny after he replaced the Social Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, Adamu Angba, who withdrew from the race.

The controversy centres largely on whether affected candidates met the statutory requirements for participation in party primaries and subsequent nomination, particularly where defections or substitutions occurred.

INEC’s review is therefore expected to have significant consequences for affected candidates and political parties, as well as the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

For now, however, no final decision has been announced on the eligibility or disqualification of the affected candidates.

Lagos, Kano and Kaduna states have emerged as the three states with the highest number of registered voters ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, announcing that the country’s national register of voters has risen to 110 million.

Amupitan said the figure represents the cumulative outcome of the three phases of the commission’s voter registration exercise.

According to him, the size of the register further underscores Nigeria’s position as the largest democracy in Africa.

“The national register of voters now stands at 110 million, making Nigeria the largest democracy in Africa,” the INEC chairman said.

Lagos tops the list with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano State with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.

Katsina ranks fourth with 3,876,051 registered voters, while Rivers State occupies fifth position with 3,736,434.

Oyo has 3,588,111 registered voters, followed by Delta with 3,525,988.

Benue records 3,057,225 registered voters, while Ogun has 3,037,981.

Bauchi completes the top 10 with 3,012,547 registered voters.

The Senator representing Taraba South, David Jimkuta, is facing a petition seeking his disqualification from the 2027 senatorial election over an allegation that he submitted forged National Examinations Council certificates to the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The petition was filed by retired Major General Adamu Ibrahim, who contested the APC senatorial primary against Jimkuta.

In the petition dated September 21 and addressed to the APC National Chairman, Ibrahim alleged that the senator submitted forged examination certificates and made false declarations in documents accompanying his nomination.

He claimed that the certificates were attached to Jimkuta’s declaration of interest and nomination forms as evidence of his academic qualification to contest the 2027 election.

Jimkuta, who is the incumbent senator for Taraba South, has yet to be shown by the petition to have been found guilty of certificate forgery.

Meanwhile, former classmates of the senator have disputed the aspect of the allegation concerning his attendance and graduation from Government Secondary School, Wukari.

Members of the school’s 2000 graduating set said they returned to the institution and checked available records after learning of the petition.

One of the former classmates, Haruna Magaji, said Jimkuta’s name appeared as number 98 on the list of students in the 2000 graduating set.

According to Magaji, the classmates also confirmed that Jimkuta graduated with them in 2000 and that their set was the first graduating class of the school to sit for the NECO examination.

Other members of the set named in reports of the briefing in Jalingo include Zakaria Luka, Emmanuel Audu, Manasseh Wunuji and Habibu Isyaka.

However, the classmates’ confirmation that Jimkuta attended and graduated from the school does not, on its own, establish the authenticity of the particular NECO certificate submitted to the APC or INEC.

Verification by the school and NECO would be required to determine whether the certificate in question is genuine.

The controversy has also prompted calls for the petitioner to provide evidence backing the allegation.

An associate of Jimkuta, Obadiah Orobo, challenged Ibrahim to substantiate the claim, arguing that the relevant authorities should be allowed to establish the facts.

Orobo called on the school and NECO to clarify the matter, stressing that the allegation should not be treated as a political verdict without supporting evidence.

“If there is evidence that Senator Jimkuta forged any certificate, let that evidence be presented to the appropriate authorities,” he said.

The controversy comes as Jimkuta prepares for the 2027 general election after securing the APC ticket to contest the Taraba South senatorial seat.

The senator is listed by INEC as the APC candidate for the constituency.

The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to audit the candidates submitted by political parties for the 2027 general elections and disqualify those whose names are not contained in their respective party membership registers.

The committee made the call in a letter dated September 30, 2026, signed by its Chairman, Bayo Balogun, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

It urged INEC to enforce the provisions of Section 77(4) to (6) of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly the requirement that only registered members of a political party can participate in its primaries, congresses and conventions.

The committee’s position followed the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on the validity and constitutionality of Section 77(5), which provides that only members whose names appear in a political party’s register are eligible to vote or contest in the party’s internal elections.

Balogun recalled that INEC had previously expressed reservations about enforcing the provision because of pending legal challenges to its interpretation and constitutionality.

He cited a July 26, 2026 response from the electoral commission, signed by its Secretary, in which INEC explained that it was awaiting the outcome of the judicial proceedings before taking administrative steps that could later be affected by a final court ruling.

However, the committee chairman said the Supreme Court’s decision had now settled the legal uncertainty surrounding the provision.

According to him, the apex court’s judgment has materially altered the legal position and paved the way for INEC to fully enforce Section 77(4) to (6).

The committee consequently urged the commission to act without further delay and ensure that the provisions are strictly applied in the administration and monitoring of political parties and their electoral activities.

Specifically, the lawmakers asked INEC to audit the lists of candidates submitted by all registered political parties for the 2027 elections and cross-check their names against the membership registers previously submitted to the commission.

The exercise, they said, would determine whether candidates satisfied the requirements of Section 77(5).

The committee warned that any political party or candidate found to have breached the provision should be disqualified.

“This will be a litmus test for the Commission and any culpable political party and candidates should be disqualified,” the committee said.

It further argued that carrying out the audit before the elections would help reduce post-primary litigation, particularly suits challenging candidates’ eligibility over alleged violations of the Electoral Act.

“If diligently done, it will save the courts from flood of litigations that may arise from irregularities and non-adherence to Section 77(4-6) by political parties and their candidates,” it stated.

Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026 governs aspects of the internal administration of political parties, including the conduct of primaries, congresses and conventions.

The provision has become a major issue in the political process ahead of the 2027 elections, with its membership-register requirement potentially affecting the eligibility of candidates who participated in party selection processes.

The Zamfara State House of Assembly has endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment seeking the establishment of state police in Nigeria.

The resolution was adopted during the Assembly’s sitting on Monday as part of the ongoing constitutional alteration process initiated by the National Assembly.

Speaking with journalists in Gusau, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Isma’ila Zannan Moriki, said the proposed state police would strengthen efforts to tackle insecurity in Zamfara and other parts of the country if approved.

Moriki said the resolution followed the transmission of the proposed constitutional alterations by the National Assembly to state legislatures for consideration.

He expressed optimism that the establishment of state police would provide additional support to existing security agencies in addressing the security challenges confronting the state.

“This will, Insha Allah, complement the efforts of Mr President and Governor Dauda Lawal in addressing the insecurity-related issues in the state and our dear country Nigeria,” he said.

The Assembly’s position comes amid persistent attacks and abductions by armed groups in parts of Zamfara, with several communities continuing to grapple with insecurity.

The Speaker also dismissed claims that recent political developments involving some lawmakers had affected the functioning of the Assembly.

According to him, the House remains “stable, functional and fully engaged” in its legislative responsibilities, with plenary sessions and other legislative activities continuing as scheduled.

Moriki also commented on the recent defection of some lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress, saying their political decisions were separate from disciplinary proceedings instituted against them by the House.

He said the affected lawmakers had been suspended since February 26, 2024, over allegations bordering on gross misconduct, conspiracy, mischief, contempt of the House and violations of the Assembly’s Standing Orders.

He added that their suspension was extended on May 13, 2026, because the disciplinary proceedings had yet to be concluded.

The Speaker urged members of the public to distinguish between the lawmakers’ political affiliations and the disciplinary actions against them, stressing that their defection did not invalidate the pending legislative or legal processes.

He reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to the rule of law, legislative integrity and the protection of public institutions.

The resolution on state police forms part of the broader constitutional amendment exercise currently before state legislatures across the country.

A prosecution witness has told the FCT High Court in Maitama how funds belonging to Taraba State’s local governments were allegedly transferred into a private company’s account during the administration of former Governor Darius Ishaku.

The witness, Taiwo Jones, an assistant cashier with the Taraba State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said about N600 million to N700 million was transferred from Gassol Local Government into the account of P3 Cornerstone Nigeria Limited between 2019 and 2021.

Jones gave the testimony on Monday while appearing as the third prosecution witness in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) trial of Ishaku and Bello Yero, a former Permanent Secretary in the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

The EFCC is prosecuting the former governor and Yero on 15 counts bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds allegedly amounting to N27 billion.

Ishaku served as Taraba State governor from May 2015 to May 2023.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Jones said the money paid into his company’s account was part of local government “subvention”.

Asked to give the total amount received from Gassol Local Government, the witness said: “It will be around N600 million to N700 million approximately. I don’t have my calculator.”

Jones explained that he operated P3 International, a company he initially used for his farming business before joining the state civil service.

He said the company’s account was subsequently used to receive and disburse funds on the instructions of Yero.

According to the witness, approximately N1.8 billion passed through his company’s account on Yero’s instructions for onward disbursement to other individuals and accounts.

During Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution presented a United Bank for Africa (UBA) letter detailing transfers from various local governments to P3 Cornerstone’s account.

Jones confirmed that funds transferred from the local governments were received into the company’s account on the corresponding dates.

He also testified that portions of the money were transferred to an account identified as the “Seven per cent Emirates and Traditional Councils” account.

The witness said he sometimes transferred funds to Prince Onwuzurike or withdrew money and handed it to Yero and Dare Lawal, allegedly acting on Yero’s instructions.

Lawal and Onwuzurike had earlier testified as the first and second prosecution witnesses respectively.

Jones further gave the court details of some of the transactions involving P3 Cornerstone.

He said Yorro Local Government transferred N50 million to the company’s account on October 11, 2019, adding that the entire amount was subsequently handed over to Yero and Lawal.

He said another N58.5 million was transferred into the account on October 25, 2019, and was later paid to Onwuzurike.

The witness also testified that Gassol Local Government made separate transfers of about N64.9 million and N1.4 million into the account, with the bulk of the funds subsequently transferred to the Seven per cent Emirates and Traditional Councils account.

He added that Ardo Kola Local Government transferred N55 million to the company on November 28, 2019, while Gassol Local Government also transferred N62 million.

Jones said Zing Local Government transferred N70 million, while Yorro Local Government transferred N11.3 million into the account.

He told the court that he reported the receipt of the funds to Babagida Hassan, the then Director of Finance, who sometimes instructed him on how the money should be disbursed.

The witness also said he had never been queried for failing to account for or deliver the funds transferred into his company’s account.

Thereafter, Jacobs tendered Jones’ statement to the EFCC and his personal UBA account statements through him as exhibits.

Justice Slyvanus Oriji adjourned the case until Tuesday, October 6, for continuation of the trial.
Clarify Jones’s company names.