The House of representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to audit the membership registers of political parties and disqualify candidates for the 2027 elections whose names are not contained in the registers, in line with the Electoral Act 2026.
In a statement on Tuesday, the committee’s Chairman, Rep. Bayo Balogun (APC), drew INEC’s attention to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act and called for their full enforcement across all political parties.
Balogun said the legal proceedings surrounding the interpretation, constitutionality and enforceability of the provisions had been resolved by the Supreme Court’s judgment.
The lawmaker recalled that on September 24, the Supreme Court restored the provisions after setting aside a Court of Appeal judgment that had declared them unconstitutional.
According to him, the apex court held that the provisions were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.
Balogun explained that Section 77(5) stipulates that only members whose names are contained in the membership register submitted to INEC are eligible to vote or be voted for at party primaries, congresses and conventions.
He added that Section 77(6) requires political parties to use the membership register submitted to the electoral commission for such exercises.
The committee chairman therefore urged INEC to proceed without further delay with the enforcement of Sections 77(4) to 77(6) in the administration and monitoring of political parties and their electoral activities.
He said the proposed audit should determine whether the names of candidates submitted by political parties are contained in the membership registers previously submitted to INEC in compliance with Section 77(5).
“This will be a litmus test for the commission; any culpable political party and candidates should be disqualified,” Balogun said.
He added that diligent enforcement of the provisions 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.
(vitalnewsmgr.com)
