By NEWSCOUNT Desk
The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to audit the candidates submitted by political parties for the 2027 general elections and disqualify those whose names are not contained in the membership registers submitted to the commission.
The committee made the demand in a letter dated September 30, 2026, signed by its Chairman, Rep. Bayo Balogun, and made available to journalists in Abuja.
The lawmakers said the request followed the Supreme Court’s recent judgment upholding the validity and constitutionality of key provisions of Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly subsections 5, 6 and 7, which regulate political party membership registers and participation in party primaries.
The Supreme Court had on September 24 restored the affected provisions after setting aside a Court of Appeal judgment which had declared them unconstitutional. The apex court held that Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.
The committee said the judgment had resolved the legal uncertainty that had earlier surrounded the enforcement of the provisions and therefore required INEC to commence full implementation of the relevant sections.
Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, requires every registered political party to maintain a digital register of its members containing such details as the member’s name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government area, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number and photograph.
Under Section 77(4), a political party is required to make its membership register available to INEC not later than 21 days before the date fixed for its primaries, congresses or conventions.
Section 77(5) provides that only members whose names are contained in the register are eligible to vote or be voted for in party primaries, congresses and conventions, while Section 77(6) bars political parties from using any other register apart from the one submitted to INEC for those exercises.
The law further provides under Section 77(7) that a political party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated period shall not be eligible to field a candidate for that election.
Balogun recalled that INEC had earlier expressed reservations about enforcing the provisions because of pending judicial proceedings challenging their interpretation, constitutionality and enforceability.
He referred to an earlier response by INEC dated July 26, 2026 and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, in which the electoral body explained that it was reluctant to take administrative steps that could subsequently be affected by the outcome of the court proceedings.
According to Balogun, that position was understandable at the time because the legal challenge to the provisions had not been finally determined.
He, however, said the situation had changed following the Supreme Court judgment.
“The legal position has now materially changed,” Balogun said, stressing that the Supreme Court, being the apex court on constitutional and electoral matters within its jurisdiction, had settled the dispute surrounding the relevant provisions of Section 77(5).
He said the provision was no longer operating under the uncertainty that had previously affected its enforcement.
The committee therefore called on INEC to proceed without further delay to enforce Sections 77(4) to 77(6) of the Electoral Act, 2026, and ensure that the provisions are applied in the administration and monitoring of political parties and their electoral activities.
Specifically, the lawmakers asked the commission to undertake an audit of candidates presented by all registered political parties for the 2027 elections.
The audit, according to the committee, should establish whether the names of the candidates appear in the membership registers previously submitted by their respective political parties to INEC.
The committee said candidates whose names are not found in the relevant party registers should not be allowed to benefit from party nominations in violation of the law.
It described the proposed audit and enforcement exercise as a “litmus test” for INEC, insisting that political parties and candidates found to have breached the provisions should face the consequences prescribed by law.
The committee also said diligent enforcement of the provisions would help prevent disputes over party primaries and reduce litigation arising from alleged irregularities in candidate nomination and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The Supreme Court judgment has already generated renewed attention to the eligibility of candidates who obtained party tickets before the ruling, with legal and political questions arising over the practical effect of the restored provisions on nomination processes for the 2027 elections.
The lawmakers maintained that the enforcement of the membership-register provisions was necessary to ensure that political parties complied with the electoral law and that only persons who satisfied the statutory requirements participated in party primaries and emerged as candidates for the 2027 elections.
The committee consequently urged INEC to act on the Supreme Court judgment and ensure strict compliance by all registered political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
