Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the House of Representatives has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify any candidate whose name is not found in the membership registers submitted by political parties, citing a Supreme Court ruling that restored the requirement.
The House said the move is aimed at curbing imposition of candidates, party defections and last-minute substitutions that have continued to fuel pre-election litigation in the country.
The Committee on Electoral Matters, led by Bayo Balogun, called on INEC to enforce Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 across all political parties, saying pending legal challenges to the provisions have been resolved.
The Supreme Court on September 24 restored the contested sections after overturning a Court of Appeal judgment that had declared them unconstitutional, holding that the provisions weren’t inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution, according to Balogun’s statement Tuesday.
Balogun, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said the apex court’s decision means the provisions should now be fully enforced without further delay.
Section 77(5) stipulates that only members whose names appear in the membership register submitted to INEC are eligible to vote or be voted for at party primaries, congresses and conventions, he stated.
Section 77(6) requires political parties to use the register submitted to the electoral commission for such exercises, he also added.
Section 77(7) deals with related administrative requirements, according to the lawmaker.
Balogun urged INEC to audit the membership registers and candidates submitted by political parties to verify whether candidates’ names are contained in the registers previously filed with the commission in compliance with Section 77(5).
“This will be a litmus test for the Commission – any culpable political party and candidates should be disqualified,” he said in the statement.
The lawmaker argued that diligent enforcement of the provisions would help prevent disputes and reduce the volume of litigation that could arise from alleged irregularities or non-compliance with Sections 77(4) to 77(6) of the Electoral Act.
The push comes ahead of 2027 general election, with the committee chairman calling on the electoral umpire to proceed without further delay in administering and monitoring political parties’ electoral activities under the restored provisions.
INEC has yet to publicly respond to the committee’s call for enforcement and auditing of party membership registers.
