The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is reviewing the Supreme Court judgment on the Electoral Act 2026 after the apex court restored key provisions governing political party membership registers and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday at the commission’s World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Meeting in Abuja, saying INEC received the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment that morning and was studying its implications before deciding how it would be applied.
Key Highlights
- INEC is reviewing the Supreme Court judgment on the Electoral Act 2026.
- The Supreme Court restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act.
- The provisions concern political party membership registers and candidate nominations.
- INEC said it had received complaints and enquiries from political parties, aspirants and National Assembly members.
- The commission has not announced any candidate disqualifications arising from the judgment.
- 18 of Nigeria’s 22 registered political parties have nominated presidential and vice-presidential candidates, according to Amupitan.
- Accord, APGA and the Youth Party had yet to nominate presidential candidates, while the NNPP withdrew its presidential nomination during the substitution period.
- INEC warned media organisations against declaring election results from privately collated figures.
- Nigeria’s voter register has reached 103,428,715, with Lagos and Kano recording the highest figures.
INEC Reviews Supreme Court Judgment on Electoral Act 2026
Amupitan said the commission was carefully examining the Supreme Court ruling before determining the appropriate administrative steps.
The Supreme Court on September 24 unanimously allowed INEC’s appeal in the Zenith Labour Party case, restoring Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 after the Court of Appeal had earlier struck down the provisions.
The restored provisions deal principally with political party membership registers and nomination procedures.
Under the provisions concerning party membership registers, political parties are required to submit their registers to INEC within the statutory period ahead of primaries, congresses and conventions and use the relevant register for those processes.
The Supreme Court also upheld INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 elections. The commission had previously fixed the presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for March 6, 2027.
Political Parties, Aspirants Seek Clarification
Amupitan said INEC had received complaints and enquiries from political parties, aggrieved aspirants and members of the National Assembly following the Supreme Court judgment.
The development has drawn attention to several nominations and ongoing political contests, including those involving Rivers APC governorship candidate Kingsley Chinda, Delta Central NDC senatorial candidate Ovie Omo-Agege, PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei.
However, INEC has not announced any disqualification of these or other candidates as a consequence of the Supreme Court ruling.
The commission’s review is therefore expected to determine how the restored provisions affect nominations and party compliance ahead of the 2027 elections.
18 Parties Nominate Presidential Candidates
Amupitan also provided an update on presidential nominations by political parties.
According to the INEC chairman, 18 of the 22 registered political parties had nominated presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
He identified Accord, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Youth Party as parties that had not nominated presidential candidates at the time of the briefing.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), meanwhile, withdrew its presidential nomination during the substitution window.
Amupitan said 21 political parties had also sponsored 313 candidates for the Senate and 3,547 candidates for the House of Representatives.
Personal particulars of candidates were published on August 1, while the final list was published on September 12, subject to court orders.
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INEC Warns Media Against Declaring Private Election Results
The INEC chairman separately warned media organisations against declaring election results based on privately collated figures.
Amupitan said the authority to declare official election results rests with INEC under the Electoral Act.
He urged media organisations to strengthen their fact-checking and verification processes and confirm electoral information with the commission before publication.
The warning comes as political parties, civil society groups and media organisations prepare for increasingly intensive coverage of the 2027 elections.
INEC Raises Concern Over Deepfakes and AI
Amupitan also warned about the growing use of deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated content during election reporting.
He said INEC’s ICT department now has an AI division that would support verification of electoral information, while stressing the importance of human oversight.
The development comes amid growing concern over the use of manipulated videos, fabricated statements and misleading election-related content on social media.
Nigeria Voter Register Hits 103.4 Million
The INEC chairman disclosed that Nigeria’s national voter register had risen to 103,428,715 registered voters following the completion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and biometric cleanup.
Lagos recorded the highest number of registered voters with 7,488,633, followed by Kano with 6,570,276.
INEC said the register would be displayed for public scrutiny from October 9, while the first phase of Permanent Voter Card collection would also commence on October 9.
The commission’s latest figures come after the three-phase CVR exercise recorded more than 10.7 million new registrations, followed by a biometric cleanup using the Automated Biometric Identification System.
2027 Election Preparations Intensify
The latest developments highlight the legal and administrative challenges facing INEC as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.
With the Supreme Court having restored the disputed Electoral Act provisions, attention is now focused on how INEC will interpret and implement the judgment, particularly regarding party membership registers and candidate nomination requirements.
The commission is expected to provide further clarification after completing its review of the Certified True Copy of the judgment.
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