Political parties could lose the opportunity to field replacement candidates in the 2027 elections if the original candidates were not listed in their official membership registers, the Independent National Electoral Commission has warned.
The development follows the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 ruling affirming the validity of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The apex court also upheld INEC’s amended timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme on Wednesday, INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Malam Mohammed Haruna, said parties that failed to comply with the law could not be allowed to benefit by replacing affected candidates.
Haruna said INEC was expected to reach a firm position on the interpretation and implementation of the judgment by Tuesday next week.
“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it. You remember cases that we had of some in Zamfara, you remember Plateau? The same thing. The parties, because they did the wrong thing, they thought they could now steal through the candidates.
“And the law was very clear. Once you do that kind of thing, you cannot benefit from it. You are benefiting from it, if you are able to substitute a candidate.”
He explained that the consequences could extend beyond one category of election, potentially leaving some parties without candidates for governorship and legislative contests.
“All the candidates, all the way to the houses of assembly, we interviewed them. If their names are not on the party register, they were not members of the party at the time that they contested for those tickets.”
The commissioner said INEC was taking its time because of the need to carefully study the Supreme Court’s certified judgment and obtain appropriate legal guidance.
He stressed that the commission could not simply rely on documents presented to it, given previous cases involving allegedly forged court judgments.
“You can’t be too careful with these things because even when you see copies and they tell you it’s a CTC, it may be forged. We’ve seen instances where people have even gone, have the audacity to forge a Supreme Court judgment. So, we have to be very careful to make sure that when you took us, we did put a lot of pressure and we were able to get it yesterday (Tuesday).
Haruna also raised concerns over the growing use of threats and inflammatory rhetoric during political campaigns, saying such conduct should worry not only INEC but all political stakeholders.
“Those kind of things, even if it’s a minority, it’s a cause for concern, because nobody should be threatened at all. All those talks, they are not reassuring at all. There are things, there are talks, actions, that really is a cause for worry, not just for us, but it should be a cause of worry for everybody, including the ruling party.”
He further disclosed that the electoral body was making efforts to secure the funds needed for the 2027 elections, noting that INEC had limited time left to prepare adequately for the polls.
