Supreme Court Upholds INEC's Appeal on Electoral Act 2026

On September 25, 2026, the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) that sought to void sections of the Electoral Act 2026, specifically regarding political party primaries and membership registers. A seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) appeal against a prior Court of Appeal decision that favored the ZLP.

The Supreme Court ruled that Sections 77(5) and 84 of the Electoral Act do not conflict with the 1999 Constitution and awarded N2 million in costs against the ZLP. Additionally, the court dismissed appeals from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Youth Party, with the SDP's appeal being dismissed on its merits and the Youth Party's appeal struck out for being filed out of time.

The ZLP had previously argued that the provisions conflicted with the Constitution, leading to the Court of Appeal's partial ruling on July 16, 2026, which INEC subsequently appealed.