Anxiety is mounting among political parties and candidates whose electoral prospects may be affected by the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Electoral Act, as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, prepares to publish the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates on October 10.
The uncertainty follows the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, judgment on Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026, which overturned the July 16 judgment of the Court of Appeal that had declared several provisions of the law unconstitutional.
The apex court’s decision effectively restored the requirement for political parties to submit verified membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before conducting any primary, congress or convention.
Under the restored provision, only individuals whose names appear on the membership register submitted to INEC are eligible to vote or contest in such internal party elections.
However, several political parties conducted congresses and primaries while the Court of Appeal’s judgment was still in force.
The Supreme Court’s subsequent ruling has therefore raised questions over the validity of some of those processes and the status of candidates who emerged from them.
INEC said it had applied for the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgment to enable it to properly determine its implications before taking a position.
The commission’s National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the CTC had not reached the commission as of Sunday.
He said INEC expected to receive the document on Monday, adding that the commission would study and deliberate on it before making any pronouncement.
Similarly, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, confirmed that the commission had applied for the certified copy and would offer an opinion on the implications of the judgment.
The development has heightened concerns among affected candidates, particularly those whose names have already been published by INEC.
Political parties are reportedly reviewing their membership registers and comparing them with the dates on which some candidates joined or defected to their respective parties.
INEC is scheduled to hold a national stakeholders’ engagement and World Press Conference on Tuesday, October 6, as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
It remains unclear whether the commission will use the engagement to address the Supreme Court judgment or announce how it intends to handle candidates affected by the ruling.
DAILY GAZETTE reports that the commission is expected to publish the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates on October 10.
