Nigeria’s electoral authority has defended its decision to omit several political candidates from the final list for the upcoming 2027 governorship elections, citing a recent Supreme Court judgment on party membership rules.
In an official statement released on Tuesday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) explained that the exclusions were legally required following a top court ruling delivered on 24 September. Supreme Court ruling upholds strict rules.
The legal battle stems from an appeal by INEC against a lower court decision regarding the Zenith Labour Party. The Court of Appeal had previously struck down provisions requiring political parties to submit formal membership registers before conducting primary elections. However, the Supreme Court overturned that decision, upholding Section 77(5)–(7) of Nigeria’s Electoral Act. The apex court ruled that the requirement is constitutional and mandatory for all political parties. Under the timetable, parties were required to submit their full membership registers between 21 April and 10 May. The Supreme Court ruled that any political party failing to comply automatically becomes ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.
Presidential candidate list unaffected
Addressing concerns over national races, INEC clarified that the final candidate list for the Presidential and National Assembly elections remains unchanged. That list was published on 12 September—thirteen days prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Window open for legal appeal
INEC stated that under electoral laws, political parties who feel their candidates were wrongly excluded have a 14-day window from the publication date to challenge the decision. Parties have until 24 October to formally notify the commission of any objections. In a statement signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, legal adherence, and credible elections.
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