Nigerian Reps: Dual Party Membership Ban Bill – March 2026
On 11 March 2026, the Nigerian House of Representatives had one major item on its supplementary agenda: a bill seeking to ban Nigerians from belonging to more than one political party at the same time. The bill also proposes penalties for anyone who breaks this rule. This matters to Nigerians because it could affect how politicians and ordinary party members participate in the country's electoral process.
The House of Representatives held its sitting on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, with a supplementary order paper containing a single bill addressed at two stages in the same day.
The bill in question is the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, sponsored by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere and designated HB. 2728. Its purpose is to explicitly prohibit dual-party membership — that is, a person holding membership in more than one political party simultaneously — and to establish clear penalties for anyone found to have violated this rule.
First, the bill was listed for its Second Reading, the stage at which lawmakers debate the general principles and objectives of a proposed law before deciding whether it should move further through the legislative process.
Second, the same bill was also listed for consideration by the Committee of the Whole House, meaning the full chamber was set to review the bill's specific clauses in detail. This step is dated 10 March 2026 on the order paper, suggesting the committee stage had already occurred or was carried over into this sitting.
No other bills, motions, petitions, or special business were listed on this supplementary order paper.
