The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended the exclusion of some political parties’ candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections; it cited a Supreme Court ruling that makes the submission of party membership registers compulsory.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 13, the commission said parties that failed to submit their registers within the prescribed period could not validly sponsor candidates for the elections. The clarification follows the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026.
The dispute centred on Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC before conducting valid primaries. The Court of Appeal had previously nullified those provisions, prompting INEC to challenge that decision at the Supreme Court.
However, the apex court upheld the provisions as constitutional and mandatory. It also affirmed INEC’s timetable requiring parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
According to INEC, failure to meet this requirement makes a political party ineligible to sponsor candidates. The commission said it applied the judgment while finalising the governorship candidates’ list, relying on Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires authorities to recognise and enforce decisions of superior courts.
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The ruling has significant implications for political parties preparing for the 2027 elections. A party’s failure to comply with the membership-register requirement could prevent its candidates from appearing on the ballot, regardless of their performance in party primaries.
The decision also highlights the importance of administrative compliance in Nigeria’s electoral process. Political parties must satisfy statutory requirements alongside selecting candidates through their internal procedures. Winning a primary election alone does not guarantee a place on the ballot if the party fails to meet other legal conditions.
INEC, however, distinguished the governorship list from the final lists for presidential and National Assembly candidates, which it published on September 12, 2026, thirteen days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
The commission said parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted have a legal avenue to notify it under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026. It fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for such notifications.
The deadline gives affected parties an opportunity to challenge omissions, although INEC’s statement does not guarantee that every complaint will lead to a candidate’s reinstatement. Any review will depend on the circumstances of the omission and the applicable legal requirements.
The commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and electoral credibility.
As the 2027 elections approach, the immediate concern for affected parties is whether they can establish that their candidates were wrongly excluded before the notification deadline expires. The outcome could shape which candidates are eligible to contest and how political parties prepare for the next electoral cycle.
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