Supreme Court's Ruling Disrupts PDP Candidate Nominations

On September 24, 2026, the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous ruling reinstating Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7), and 84(2) of the Electoral Act, which had been voided by a previous Court of Appeal decision. The court found these sections consistent with the 1999 Constitution, requiring political parties to use the membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before any primary and mandating direct primaries or consensus for nominations.

This ruling has unsettled several opposition candidates, including Adamu Idris of the SDP in Nasarawa and Abdulrahman Haske of the APM in Adamawa. The PDP is set to hold a fresh primary on September 29, 2026, for the governorship candidacy, with Professor Isa Ali Pantami competing against Khamisu Ahmed.

Questions have arisen regarding the candidacies of Senator Saliu Mustapha and Kolo Jiya, both of whom previously belonged to the APC. The Kwara PDP maintains that their candidacies remain valid.

Iyabo Obasanjo's recent switch from the APC to the PDP has also come under scrutiny, but her media aide asserts she is not affected by the ruling.