INEC Confirms Candidate Eligibility Rules Post-Supreme Court Ruling

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that political parties will not be allowed to field candidates whose names are not included in the membership registers submitted to the commission, following a Supreme Court judgment on September 24, 2026. This ruling affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6), and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 general elections.

Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, explained that parties cannot benefit from violations of the law by substituting candidates not on their submitted registers. He indicated that a definitive pronouncement on the judgment's implications would be made by the following Tuesday.

Haruna noted that some political parties might be unable to field candidates for certain positions in the upcoming elections. The commission's delay in finalizing its position was due to the need for legal advice and document authentication after receiving the Certified True Copy of the judgment.