The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to audit political parties’ membership registers and disqualify any 2027 candidate whose name is not on the register submitted to the commission.
Rep. Bayo Balogun (APC), chairman of the committee, made the call in a statement on Tuesday. He said the Supreme Court had settled the legal questions around Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026, and that INEC should now enforce the provisions against all parties.
The court, on September 24, restored the sections after setting aside a Court of Appeal judgment that had declared them unconstitutional. The apex court held that the provisions were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution, ending pending arguments over their interpretation and enforceability.
Under Section 77(5), only persons whose names appear in the membership register submitted to INEC may vote or be voted for at party primaries, congresses and conventions. Section 77(6) requires parties to use that submitted register for those exercises.
Balogun asked the commission to enforce Sections 77(4) to 77(6) without further delay in its oversight of parties and their electoral activities. He said the audit should check whether candidates put forward by the parties are on the membership registers earlier filed with INEC under Section 77(5).
“This will be a litmus test for the commission; any culpable political party and candidates should be disqualified,” he said. “Diligent enforcement of the provision would help prevent disputes and reduce the volume of litigation that could arise from alleged irregularities or non-compliance with Sections 77(4) to 77(6) of the Electoral Act.”
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