ABUJA — Anxiety is mounting among political parties and candidates ahead of the publication of the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections, following the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on provisions governing political party membership registers.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has maintained silence on how the judgment will affect candidates who emerged from party primaries conducted while an earlier Court of Appeal ruling was in force.
The electoral commission is expected to publish the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates on October 10, 2026.
However, INEC said it is still awaiting the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgment before making a formal pronouncement on its implications.
The development has left several political parties and affected candidates uncertain about the status of their nominations.
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INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission had applied for the certified true copy of the judgment and was expecting to receive it on Monday.
“The commission is yet to receive the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgement. Hopefully we will do so tomorrow, Monday. Until we do so and deliberate on it we cannot make any pronouncement on the issue,” Haruna said.
The Director of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC, Victoria Eta-Messi, also confirmed that the commission had formally applied for the document.
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According to her, an official position would be communicated after the commission had studied the judgment and determined its implications.
“The Commission had applied for the CTC and an opinion will be offered on the import of the latest Judgment of the Supreme Court,” Eta-Messi said.
Supreme Court Judgment Triggers Fresh Uncertainty
The development follows the September 24, 2026 judgment of the Supreme Court on Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026.
The apex court set aside the July 16, 2026 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had declared several restrictive provisions of the Electoral Act unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court ruling effectively restored the requirement for political parties to submit verified membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before conducting any primary election, congress or convention.
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Under the restored provision, only individuals whose names appear on the membership register submitted to INEC would be eligible to vote or contest in the relevant party process.
The judgment has now raised questions over party primaries and congresses conducted during the period when the Court of Appeal judgment was still in effect.
Candidates Face Uncertain Future
Several political parties conducted congresses and primary elections while relying on the Court of Appeal’s position.
Following the Supreme Court judgment, opposition parties and other political actors are reportedly reviewing their membership registers and comparing them with the dates on which some aspirants and candidates joined or defected to their respective parties.
The key question is whether candidates whose names were not contained in the relevant membership registers submitted to INEC before the statutory deadline could be affected by the Supreme Court ruling.
There are also concerns over candidates who have already been published by INEC, as parties await clarification on whether the commission will review or amend the lists.
INEC, however, has yet to disclose whether any previously published candidate list could be affected.
INEC Stakeholders’ Meeting
The uncertainty comes just days before INEC’s planned national engagement with political parties and other stakeholders.
The commission had announced on September 23, 2026, that it would hold a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Engagement on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
It remains unclear whether the Supreme Court judgment will form part of the commission’s agenda at the engagement.
INEC officials have also not provided a specific timeline for when the commission will issue its interpretation of the judgment.
For now, political parties and candidates remain in suspense as they await INEC’s official position.
With the October 10 deadline for the publication of the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates fast approaching, attention is now focused on the electoral commission and how it will interpret and implement the Supreme Court’s latest ruling.
The outcome could have significant implications for some political parties and candidates preparing for the 2027 elections.
