Parties Risk Losing 2027 Candidates Over Register Violations – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political parties that candidates whose names were not contained in the membership registers submitted to the commission may be barred from participating in the 2027 general elections.

The warning followed the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment affirming the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The apex court also upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.

Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme on Wednesday, INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission would not allow parties to benefit from violations of the law.

Haruna explained that political parties would not be permitted to substitute candidates affected by the register requirement, arguing that doing so would allow them to benefit from their own violation.

He stated, “It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it. You remember cases that we had of some in Zamfara, you remember Plateau? The same thing.

“And the law was very clear. Once you do that kind of thing, you cannot benefit from it. You are benefiting from it, if you are able to substitute a candidate.”

According to Haruna, the Supreme Court judgment could extend beyond individual candidates, with some political parties potentially unable to field candidates for certain governorship contests.

“Some parties may not be able to finish with even governorship candidates,” he said.

The commissioner said the register requirement applied to candidates contesting from the presidential level down to the state Houses of Assembly.

“All the candidates, all the way to the houses of assembly, we interviewed them. If their names are not on the party register, they were not members of the party at the time that they contested for those tickets,” he stated.

Haruna said the commission was aware of the anxiety surrounding the Supreme Court ruling but explained that INEC needed to carefully study the certified judgment before taking a final position.

He said the commission had only recently obtained the Certified True Copy of the judgment and would consult its legal experts before making a definitive pronouncement.

“You can’t be too careful with these things because even when you see copies, and they tell you it’s a CTC, it may be forged,” he said.

Haruna recalled instances where individuals allegedly forged Supreme Court judgments, saying INEC therefore had to ensure the document it relied on was authentic.

He said the commission expected to make a clear pronouncement on the matter by Tuesday next week. The commissioner also expressed concern over the use of threats during political campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.

Haruna said threatening opponents or other political actors was unacceptable, no matter how few people were involved.

“Those kinds of things, even if it’s a minority, it’s a cause for concern, because nobody should be threatened at all,” he said.

He added that such rhetoric was “not reassuring at all” and should concern all Nigerians, including members of the ruling party.

Haruna further said INEC was working to secure the funds needed to conduct the 2027 elections.

He said the commission was increasingly pressed for time and could no longer afford delays in making the necessary preparations for the polls.