Political parties and candidates whose nominations could be affected by the Supreme Court’s recent ruling are facing uncertainty as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has yet to announce how it will implement the judgment.
The anxiety comes ahead of INEC’s planned publication of the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates on October 10.
INEC said it has applied for the certified true copy of the Supreme Court’s judgment and is waiting to receive the document before taking a position on the matter. The commission is also scheduled to meet with political parties and other stakeholders on Tuesday.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission had not received the judgment as of Sunday.
“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,” he said.
INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, also confirmed that the commission had applied for the document.
“The Commission had applied for the CTC and an opinion will be offered on the import of the latest Judgment of the Supreme Court,” she said.
The Supreme Court ruling, delivered on September 24, restored key provisions of Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026. The provisions require political parties to submit verified membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before conducting primaries, congresses or conventions.
Under the restored provisions, only members whose names appear on the submitted register are eligible to vote or contest in the relevant party processes.
The ruling has raised questions over candidates who participated in party primaries while an earlier Court of Appeal judgment had suspended the provisions. Some opposition parties are now reviewing their membership registers and nomination processes to determine whether affected candidates complied with the requirements.
However, the Supreme Court ruling does not automatically disqualify the candidates involved. Their eligibility could depend on individual records, including membership registers, the timing of party membership, waivers and the processes through which they secured their tickets.
For now, INEC has declined to give a definite position, leaving affected candidates and political parties waiting for the commission’s interpretation of the judgment.
