The Senate has said it will not reopen the country’s Electoral Act before the 2027 general elections, rejecting pressure for changes after the Supreme Court restored contested provisions governing party membership registers and candidate nominations.
It said it has ruled out a fresh review of the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the current provisions are sufficient to guarantee credible polls.
Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu said lawmakers had completed the electoral overhaul and that the statute, already signed into law, would govern the polls scheduled for January and February 2027.
Any amendment, he said, would be considered only after the election.
“Parties have used the law to produce candidates who are going to contest in January and February,” Adaramodu said.
“So are you now going to shift the goalpost in the middle of the game?”, he asked.
The Senate’s position follows a unanimous Supreme Court ruling by a seven-member panel that reinstated Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The provisions had been struck down by the Court of Appeal in a case brought by the Zenith Labour Party, which argued that they improperly intruded on parties’ internal affairs.
The restored rules limit participation in primaries, congresses and conventions to people listed on membership registers submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Parties must use the register filed with INEC, and those that fail to submit one within the prescribed period may be barred from fielding candidates.
Section 84(2) recognizes direct primaries and consensus arrangements as permissible methods for nominating candidates.
The ruling has renewed concerns among parties and prospective candidates about whether membership records, waivers and nomination processes will withstand legal challenge.
The decision also restored parts of INEC’s election timetable that the Court of Appeal had voided.
Adaramodu said anyone with objections could submit a petition to the Senate, but warned that changing the law now would disrupt preparations already underway.
“How do you halt an electoral act that is already in use for a new one?” he asked.
The Senate’s stance effectively locks in the legal framework for Nigeria’s next national vote, leaving political parties to comply with the reinstated registration and nomination requirements as primaries and candidate selection proceed.
